Day Four of the SCAR Swim Challenge, the 4-day stage swim in Arizona, is always the cumulation of a lot of hard work, coordination, complicated logistics, grittiness, and a celebration without a party.

The swimmers – exhausted from three previous days of hard swims and movement in and out of different hotels – know that Roosevelt Lake will be warmer and smoother than the previous three legs – but a whole lot darker with the sun setting soon after the start. Out in the desert backcountry of Arizona, the darkness is a pitch blackness that is absent any light but the lights on swim caps, escort kayaks, and the shooting stars above.

Event visionary Kent Nicholas said, “The wind died down as the sun set. A cloudless night under a new moon showed the full spectrum of stars in our slice of water in the desert. A well done effort by the swimmers and crew.”

The normally more eloquent and loquacious is usually succinct on Day Four as he and his logistics and operations crew have been surviving on very little sleep and a whole lotta effort, transporting kayaks, supplies, and equipment from lake to lake, as well as maintaining safety, picking up DNF swimmers on the lake, and communicating with everyone involved.

Christina MacDougall (46, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) finished all four lakes in a cumulative time of 23 hours 11 minutes. She summed up the thoughts of many, “Thank you everyone for the amazing week. Leaving Arizona with a happy heart, full soul, and only a minor sunburn. It was so great to meet and swim with you all and each of you made the experience amazing. Thank you Kent for hosting such an awesome inspiring event.”

Corey Murphey (34, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio) and Jorge Iván Agudelo Vargas (33, Columbia) took home the SCAR Buckles as the top swimmers, finishing first in 15 hours 4 minutes and 15 hours 36 minutes, respectively. Escorted by her mother Jill Murphey [shown above], Murphey’s next major swim will be her first major channel crossing, scheduled for the Catalina Channel in July. As Nicholas has intended all along, he knows that SCAR is a great preparation for the summer’s upcoming channel crossings and marathon swims.

Susan McKay (46, Canada, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here, IISA bio here) finished second, relatively close to Murphey in 15 hours 18 minutes. McKay had a solid third and fourth days with a 5 hour 58 minute crossing of Apache Lake and a 2 hour 45 minute swim in Roosevelt Lake.

Ildiko Szekely (45, Hungary, @swimplifly) came back from a DNF due to on Day Three on Apache Lake to complete the 10 km Roosevelt Lake triangle course in a fast 2 hours 33 minutes.

As soon as each of the swimmers finished in the darkness on the shores of Roosevelt Lake, they dried off, dressed, helped pack the kayaks, and started their journeys home across the USA, and to Hungary, Australia, Canada, Ireland, Great Britain, Ecuador, France, and Columbia.

2025 SCAR Results – Cumulative Time from All Four Crossings

1. Corey Murphey (34, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio) 15:04:48.5
2. Susan McKay (46, Canada, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here, IISA bio here) 15:18:47.5
3. Jorge Iván Agudelo Vargas (33, Columbia) 15:36:24.8
4. Haley Chasin (27, USA, @chasin1997) 16:18:27.9
5. Ryan Stille (52, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 17:03:44.1
6. Maggie Regan (33, USA) 17:31:09.4
7. Amanda Davies (44, Australia) 17:42:22.0
8. Karen Nixon (58, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 18:05:37.3
9. Amy Ennion (32, UK, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 20:19:40.3
10. Dave Berry (50, Ireland, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 20:20:34.7
11. Tara Grout (53, Australia, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 20:27:21.3
12. Peter Hayden (67, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 20:31:48.7
13. Jennifer Murphy (49, USA) 20:33:15.5
14. Isaac Vernon (24, USA, @themakomethod) 20:42:16.7
15. Alain Simac (43, France, @alainsimac, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here, IISA bio here) 21:16:56.1
16. Sara Palacios (39, Ecuador, @sarademar7mares, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here, IISA bio here) 21:42:54.5
17. Amy Mazur (62, USA, @amygmazur) 22:55:59.4
18. Christina MacDougall (46, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 23:11:20.7
19. Kristiana Fox (46, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 23:26:24.6
20. Sara Wolf (56, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 25:23:24.2
21. Ildiko Szekely (45, Hungary, @swimplifly) -1 race
22. Stefan Reinke (66, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) -1 race
23. Erika Beauchamp (51, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) -1 race
24. Felicia A Bianchi (62, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) -1 race
25. Madison Carioty (29, USA) -1 race
26. Lauren Byron (49, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) -1 race
27. Mike Gregory (61, Australia, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) -1 race
28. Brianna Jackson (41, Arizona) -1 race
29. Natalie Merrow (44, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) -1 race
30. Juliet Kadlecek (55, USA, @julietkad, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here, IISA bio here) -2 races
31. Chaz Moody (40, USA) -2 races
32. Jamie Tout (71, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) -2 races
33. Julie Boxsell (54, Australia, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) -2 races
34. Jason Heavens (61, Canada) -2 races
35. Bradley Lundblad (USA) -3 races
36. Emily Evans (48, USA) -3 races
37. Mark Spratt (69, USA) -3 races
38. Rob Forst (54, USA) -3 races
39. Amy Frick (58, USA) -3 races
40. Quinn Evangelakos (27, USA) -3 races
41. Heather Fairbanks (56, USA) -3 races
42. Kerianne Brownlie (31, USA) -3 races
43. Marin Jackson (38, USA) -3 races
44. Dana Price (51, USA) -3 races
45. Deborah Gardner (65, USA) -3 races
46. Claire Russell (62, USA) -3 races
47. Andy Rieger (52, USA) -3 races
48. Golda Marcus (42, El Salvador) -3 races
49. Matthew Szachta (45, USA) -3 races

2025 SCAR – Roosevelt Lake, Day Four Results

1. Ildiko Szekely (45, Hungary, @swimplifly) 2:33:49.3
2. Corey Murphey (34, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio) 2:42:27.1
3. Susan McKay (46, Canada, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here, IISA bio here) 2:45:20.5
4. Jorge Agudelo (33, Columbia) 2:45:38.4
5. Haley Chasin (27, USA, @chasin1997) 2:52:06.9
6. Maggie Regan (33, USA) 2:59:24.3
7. Stefan Reinke (66, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 3:00:50.9
8. Ryan Stille (52, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 3:02:17.2
9. Amanda Davies (44, Australia) 3:07:33.8
10. Juliet Kadlecek (55, USA, @julietkad, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here, IISA bio here) 3:08:14.5
11. Karen Nixon (58, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 3:09:45.6
12. Madison Carioty (29, USA) 3:21:57.0
13. Erika Beauchamp (51, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 3:25:02.1
14. Felicia A Bianchi (62, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 3:25:49.0
15. Lauren Byron (49, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 3:34:26.7
16. Alain Simac (43, France, @alainsimac, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here, IISA bio here) 3:35:15.5
17. Amy Ennion (32, UK, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 3:39:02.8
18. Jennifer Murphy (49, USA) 3:39:49.4
19. Isaac Vernon (24, USA, @themakomethod) 3:40:39.2
20. Dave Berry (50, Ireland, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 3:41:23.3
21. Peter Hayden (67, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 3:46:07.6
22. Tara Grout (53, Australia, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 3:48:17.7
23. Sara Palacios (39, Ecuador, @sarademar7mares, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here, IISA bio here) 3:50:48.5
24. Kristiana Fox (46, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 4:02:19.2
25. Christina MacDougall (46, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 4:05:27.9
26. Quinn Evangelakos (27, USA) 4:13:37.0
27. Amy Mazur (62, USA, @amygmazur) 4:22:22.8
28. Sara Wolf (56, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 4:45:15.7
29. Jason Heavens (61, Canada) 5:08:51.6
30. Brianna Jackson (41, Arizona) DNF
31. Jamie Tout (71, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) DNF
32. Julie Boxsell (54, Australia, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) DNF
33. Mike Gregory (61, Australia, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) DNF
34. Natalie Merrow (44, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) DNF
35. Melissa Housmyer (USA) DNF

For more information, visit www.scarswim.com.

Steven Munatones described the event, “SCAR, set in the dry, rugged American southwest desert of Arizona, is no longer under the radar. The secret has long been out about the out-of-the-way 4-day stage swim that focuses on camaraderie rather than competition, passion rather than pressure. Swimmers from around the world have discovered the joy and challenge of swimming across wind-whipped lakes where flexibility and recovery play just as important elements as do feeds and navigation. Set along four majestic reservoirs on the Salt River amid the desert wild, Kent has organized an incredible adventure that started out as a rogue swim by locals. SCAR is a physical test and a psychological challenge that remains tough, but is made easier by the other participants.“

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