8 Bridges Hudson River Swim - 2019

rondirondi Member
edited June 2019 in Event Announcements

Swimmers, NYOW’s ninth 8 Bridges will run from June 8 to 15th in 2019 and we still have single race availability for several stages.  8 Bridges is a unique opportunity to experience the Hudson River in all her glory, from her fjords, to her great bridges, to swimming past Lady Liberty herself.  If you have been hesitant because of early season temperatures in NY, have no fear - we are already seeing temps into the 50s with 6 weeks to go, aka: ideal marathon swimming conditions.  Additionally, our kayak registrations are at an all-time high, which means you will have world class support on the river.  Our paddlers are one of a kind: skilled, hardy, devoted, and there for the love of the event. Most of these folks spend the entire week on the river, camping along the way and living out of a kayak. They are eager to support swimmers again in 2019, so take advantage of this opportunity to join one of the marquee open water events of the year. For more information, please visit: https://nyopenwater.org/8-bridges-hudson-river-swim/

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rlmKate_AlexanderSwimUpStreamdavid_barraevmoKarenTMaryStellaruth

Comments

  • evmoevmo SydneyAdmin

    Stage 1 starts tomorrow (Saturday June 8). Live tracking at https://track.rs/NYOW/

    Alex_Arevaloabbygirlrosedavid_barraKari33
  • aafairmanaafairman Los Angeles, CAMember
    edited June 2019

    The first stage of the 9th Annual 8 Bridges Swim was a success, with all 11 swimmers completing the 18.3 mile course from the Rip Van Winkle Bridge to Kingston Rhinecliff Bridge. Chad Schneider of New South Wales, Australia set a new men’s course record with a time of 4:38:49 and both 7-stagers (John Bachelder of Littleton, CO swimming butterfly and Andrew Wells of Oxfordshire, Great Britain) were successful.

    Swimmers and kayakers enjoyed near perfect conditions today with clear skies, a light wind from the north, fast currents and an average water temperature of 68.5. Complete results follow.

    1. Chad Schneider (NSW, AUS) 4:38:49 (*New Men's Record)
    2. Steve Gruenwald (Faribault, MN) 5:22:07
    3. Dana Page (Washington, DC) 5:23:40
    4. Lauren Byron (Rumson, NJ) 5:24:32
    5. Joseph Kaufman (Scarsdale, NY) 5:25:13
    6. Andrew Wallace (Ocean Grove, NJ) 5:27:00
    7. John Batchelder (Littleton, CO) 5:27:30
    8. Edward Riley (New York, NY) 5:28:03
    9. Andrew Wells (Oxfordshire, GBR) 5:29:36
    10. Jim Chiudioni (Needham, MA) 5:29:49
    11. Mary Stella (Plains, PA) 5:52:45

    8 Bridges Hudson River Swim, the longest marathon swim in the world, continues tomorrow with Stage 2. Swimmers will splash at 8:06 AM at the Kingston Rhinecliff Bridge and continue 19.8 miles to the Mid-Hudson Bridge.

    **STAGE 2 OFFICIAL START LIST (June 9, 2019) **
    John Batchelder (Littleton, CO)
    Lauren Byron (Rumson, NJ)
    Judy Caves (Pittsburgh, PA)
    Jim Chiudioni (Needham, MA)
    Dongho Choi (Princeton, NJ)
    Rondi Davies (New York, NY)
    Erica Flickinger (Phoenixville, PA)
    Ryan McCabe (Washington, DC)
    Mary Stella (Plains, PA)
    Andrew Wells (Oxfordshire, GBR)
    Andrew Wallace (Ocean Grove, NJ)
    Dana Page (Washington, D.C.)
    Janice Burton (Frostburg, MD)
    Steve Gruenwald (Faribault, MN)

    All 8 Bridges swimmers can be tracked via GPS during the swim at https://track.rs/NYOW.

    IronMikewendyv34david_barraevmoKari33Spacemanspiff
  • Is Batches swimming his stages all butterfly? He had been thinking about it.

    david_barra
  • aafairmanaafairman Los Angeles, CAMember
    edited June 2019

    Ryan McCabe posted the fastest time ever for Stage 2 of the 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim, completing the 19.8 mile course in 5:21:37. Swimmers enjoyed another day of near perfect conditions: sunny, little wind, fast currents and flat water. 10 of 14 swimmers finished the swim, including John Batchelder and Andrew Wells, who are attempting the full 7-stage event. Full Results:

    1. Ryan McCabe (Washington, DC) 5:21:37 New Course Record
    2. Jonah Meyer (New York, NY) 6:18:30
    3. Erica Flickinger (Phoenixville, PA) 6:24:23
    4. Judy Caves (Pittsburgh, PA) 6:30:49
    5. Janice Burton (Frostburg, MD) 6:42:42
    6. Dana Page (Washington, DC) 6:42:51
    7. Andrew Wallace (Ocean Grove, NJ) 6:49:57
    8. John Batchelder (Littleton, CO) 7:37:09
    9. Steve Gruenwald (Faribault, MN) 7:38:10
    10. Andrew Wells (Oxfordshire, GBR) 7:42:39

    8 Bridges Hudson River Swim continues tomorrow with Stage 3. Swimmers will splash at 8:24 AM at the Mid-Hudson Bridge and swim 13.2 miles to the Beacon Newburgh Bridge.

    All 8 Bridges swimmers can be tracked via GPS during the swim at this link: https://track.rs/NYOW

    STAGE 3 OFFICIAL START LIST (June 10, 2019)
    John Batchelder (Littleton, CO)
    Jacqueline Broner (New York, NY)
    Judy Caves (Pittsburgh, PA)
    Craig Dunbar (Midlothian, VA)
    Heather Fairbanks (Midlothian, VA) )
    Ozlen Luznar (Catonsville, MD)
    Mary Stella (Plains, PA)
    Charles Van Der Horst (Chapel Hill, NC)
    Andrew Wells (Oxfordshire, GBR)
    Ali Hall (San Francisco, CA)
    Leslie Hamilton (New York, NY)
    Steve Gruenwald (Faribault, MN)
    Amy Frick (Chester, VA)

    evmoKari33david_barra
  • aafairmanaafairman Los Angeles, CAMember
    edited June 2019

    Stage 3 started on a peaceful Monday morning with little commercial traffic and calm conditions on the Hudson River as an influx of new swimmers arrived from NC, VA, MD, PA and CA. Patchy clouds turned to overcast, and gusts arrived near the finish, but the rain held off until the swimmers had cleared the water. In her longest career swim, Leslie Hamilton of New York, NY won the stage, followed by Heather Fairbanks and John Batchelder. Batchelder switched from his usual butterfly to freestyle approximately 1 hour into the swim and even did a little backstroke under the bridge. Full Results:

    8 Bridges Hudson River Swim continues tomorrow with Stage 4. Swimmers will splash at 9:30 AM at the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge and swim 15.2 miles to the Bear Mountain Bridge. All 8 Bridges swimmers can be tracked via GPS during the swim at this link: https://track.rs/NYOW

    **STAGE 4 OFFICIAL START LIST (June 11, 2019) **
    John Batchelder (Littleton, CO)
    Hannah Borgeson (New York, NY)
    Adrienne Groccia (Eastchester, NY)
    John Hughes (Stamford, CT)
    Ozlen Luznar (Catonsville, MD)
    Steven Spiegel (Amherst, MA)
    Mary Stella (Plains, PA)
    Charles Van Der Horst (Chapel Hill, NC)
    Andrew Wells (Oxford, GBR)
    Abigail Bergman (Culver City, CA)
    Steve Gruenwald (Faribault, MN)

    Kari33KatieBundavid_barra
  • aafairmanaafairman Los Angeles, CAMember

    Records continue to fall in the 2019 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim. On Tuesday, Adrienne Groccia, Abigail Bergman and John Batchelder all raced the entire distance to finish under the previous record set by 7-stager Cheryl Reinke in 2016. Groccia ultimately took first place in a new course record time of 4:07:45.

    The rest of the field also did extremely well with all 11 swimmers finishing. Stage 4 started out cloudy with NNW winds building to 15 mph with gusts above 20 mph. The tail winds pushed the swimmers along a fast flowing ebb, though the choppy waters were a challenge. The tight bend in the river at World's End blocked the wind and the second half of the swim, from West Point to the bridge, was calm and fast. The sun came out, swimmers found their groove, and all pushed hard to the finish. Full results follow:

    Tomorrow the swimmers and crew will enjoy a rest day. 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim will resume on Thursday with “The Beast”, a 19.8 mile swim from Bear Mountain Bridge to the New Tappan Zee Bridge. All 8 Bridges swimmers can be tracked via GPS during the swim at this link: https://track.rs/NYOW

    KatieBunIronMikedavid_barraKari33
  • SpacemanspiffSpacemanspiff Dallas, TexasSenior Member

    Looks like it was a successful day on the Hudson...

    IronMike

    "Lights go out and I can't be saved
    Tides that I tried to swim against
    Have brought be down upon my knees
    Oh I beg, I beg and plead..."

  • evmoevmo SydneyAdmin
    edited June 2019

    I'm gutted for Charlie - by all accounts a wonderful and impactful human being - and those who loved him and will miss him. And I'm sick for David, Rondi, Alex, and our friends at New York Open Water. They are leading lights of our sport and I know they'll lead us through this, too.

    It's a sobering reminder of how quickly things can go wrong in open waters, even with the most experienced organizers with the most sophisticated safety protocols.

    (New York, NY) - On behalf of New York Open Water, it is with great sadness that we report the loss of a swimmer today on Stage 6 of the 8 Bridges Open Water Swim. Our thoughts are first and foremost with the swimmer’s family and in respect for their privacy, we are declining to name the swimmer at this time.

    The New York Police Department is continuing search efforts in the Hudson River and the Stage 7 swim scheduled for tomorrow has been cancelled. We can confirm that all swimmer safety protocols were in place and that the NYPD was escorting the field. We will continue to work closely with the authorities and will provide updates as they become available.

    https://www.apnews.com/a314c63236b1450c8d397f522c09cc93

    More on Charles:

    jendutJSwimKatieBunPasqualedavid_barraswimrn62ViveBeneAzskiTracy_Clarkwendyv34curlygrappledunkIronMikerlmthelittlemerwookieSydneDruthdpm50JustSwimrosemarymintgregocSwimmersuzCopelj26CathyInCAMvGKari33
  • PasqualePasquale Trento, ItalyMember
    edited June 2019

    I am very sad.. I was following his swims on Facebook and we had exchanged messages few days ago. I never met him but I had immediately a good impression of him and he was really motivated and training long for this swim. He was a source motivation. Really a sad loss.

    ViveBene
  • This is hard news indeed. Thank you, evmo, for linking information on a principled humanitarian and force for good in many people's lives.

    evmoAlex_ArevaloKatieBunKate_Alexanderrlmdpm50Bridget
  • curlycurly Issaquah, WASenior Member

    I really liked his guest article in the Herald Sun. He sounds like a great guy. Thanks @evmo for posting those articles to give us a good sense of the person behind the name.

    ViveBeneevmoBridgetKari33
  • ruthruth New Jersey, USAMember

    His obituary is posted here.

    His family requested donations to the progressive cause of your choice--I made a donation to the Open Door Clinic in Raleigh, NC, where he volunteered.

    JustSwimKatieBunevmossthomasViveBenegregocrlmCopelj26dpm50MvG
  • JustSwimJustSwim Senior Member

    Thanks for the information Ruth. I made a donation in Charlie's honor to the Open Door Clinic.

    evmossthomasViveBenerlmCopelj26dpm50Kari33
  • Copelj26Copelj26 ChicagoSenior Member

    Thanks Ruth, followed suit on Open Door Clinic in his honor.

  • EODEOD Member

    They recovered Charlie’s body. He was discovered yesterday at Dyckman St. the NY side of the Hudson, believe it’s not far from the GW Bridge. This will be so helpful in giving his family closure. I connected with Charlie on Instagram about a month ago, was following his training. Traded messages with him and he seemed a friendly and enthusiastic person, and from what we read was well respected by those who knew him... I am happy he got to finish the stage 6 swim. RIP Charlie, you definitely stepped into the arena and lived life to the fullest.

    IronMike
  • evmoevmo SydneyAdmin

    Thank you 8 Bridges swimmers Lauren Byron and Heather Gold for writing these blog posts about Stage 6:

    david_barraBridgetViveBenerondisosophiaphiacurlyruthMoCoJustSwimCathyInCAdpm50KatieBunAlex_ArevalorlmKarenT
  • dpm50dpm50 PA, U.S.Senior Member

    @JustSwim said:
    Thanks for the information Ruth. I made a donation in Charlie's honor to the Open Door Clinic.

    Me too! Thanks, Ruth, for the link.

    I'll have more to say in a later post or comment. I never met him in person but I feel as if I did through Facebook and Messenger. So encouraging and friendly.

    Kari33
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