Corey Murphey (34, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio), Susan McKay (46, Canada, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here, IISA bio here), and Jorge Iván Agudelo Vargas (33, Columbia) went 1-2-3 at the 2025 SCAR Swim Challenge, the 4-day stage swim in Arizona. The race is never easy – for the fastest or the slowest of the field – always the cumulation of a lot of hard work, coordination, complicated logistics, and grittiness.

Murphey took home a SCAR Buckle as the top swimmer [along with Agudelo] after finishing in a cumulative time of 15 hours 4 minutes while being escorted by her mother Dr. Jill Murphey [shown above].

She talked about her experience at SCAR below:

Daily News of Open Water Swimming: What motivated / prompted you to enter SCAR and train for the Catalina Channel?  

Corey Murphey: Two years ago, I did the Horsetooth 10 km in Fort Collins, Colorado. For most of that race, I felt stiff and slow until I got to the 8 km mark. Then I felt amazing. When I finished, I wished there was more (like 2-3 times more). After talking to a few friends who did the race with me, I realized my experience was not normal. Most people were exhausted and didn’t want to swim more — that day or in the days following. I was ready to get back in the water immediately. So I started to look into longer swims and races. I knew I hadn’t reached the limit for how far I can swim. That’s when I found Swim the Suck, SCAR, and a few other races. 

My intention was to try my hand at Swim the Suck last fall to see if I liked longer distances, but that was cancelled due to hurricanes. Given how hard I had trained for Swim the Suck, I wanted to use my fitness for something. Unfortunately, it was already October so there were few places in Colorado to stage a makeup 10 mile open water swim. In a bit of a panic, I reached out to Sarah Thomas (42, USA, MSF bio here, IISA bio here), who knows the open water scene in Colorado better than almost anyone, to ask if she knew of anywhere I could swim 10 miles open water. She got back to me and told me, ‘In my mind, you’ve already finished and did well at Swim the Suck. If you are interested in trying your hand at longer distances, my next step after Horsetooth was Catalina. Why don’t you try that? And SCAR would be a great stepping stone toward Catalina.’

There’s something motivating about someone telling you can do something before you have even considered it yourself. Catalina wasn’t on my radar before that conversation. Sarah’s feedback was the push I needed. For the record, I did end up trying to do a 10 mile pool swim after Swim the Suck was cancelled, but the power in the pool went out around 9 km. Sadly, my swimming buddy, Zach Brown, and I were forced to stop. But that experience motivated me to keep training over the winter.

After a bit more research, I found the New York Times article about SCAR and knew I had to do it. Swimming can be a lonely sport, but from that article, it seemed like SCAR fostered a sense of community like no other race or sporting event can. I knew I needed to experience this community. 

Daily News of Open Water Swimming: Where do you train?  

Corey Murphey: I train in Boulder, Colorado. Most of my workouts start with Boulder Aquatic Masters (BAM), but I also do a fair bit of work on my own in pools around Boulder. In the summer, I add in more open water work, swimming in the Boulder Reservoir with BAM and also with Sarah Thomas’s group in a “pond” near Denver. 

My open water coach is Neil Hailstone who works with Sarah Thomas. Neil and Sarah are the best. I’m really grateful to work with them. 

Daily News of Open Water Swimming: How much yardage do you do on a weekly basis?  

Corey Murphey: Pre-SCAR, I got up to about 48 km per week (yards) before taper. That said, I think the total weekly yardage volume is less important than doing a few long (10+ km) swims and being consistent about getting in the water daily.  I’ve stopped taking days completely off in the past few months and that has helped me feel less stiff on my next hard training day. I f I need rest, I just float 1500-2000 yards for recovery. I have an active recovery week about every 4 weeks that is closer to 20-25 km, depending on how I feel and my research schedule. 

My training volume in December, January, and February was a bit low for me and for what you would expect while preparing for SCAR. In late November, I broke my elbow (medial epicondyle) while walking across a parking lot. I tripped on a curb… If you needed further evidence that I am a swimmer and am more comfortable in water than on land, there it is. It was a minor fracture, but I was only able to kick for a month and dealt with some related elbow numbness and pain through February. I think that injury was a blessing in disguise though because I had to rethink my stroke mechanics and rebuild my leg strength, which probably saved my shoulders during my heavier training loads in late March and early April. 

Daily News of Open Water Swimming: What kind of workouts do you do?  

Corey Murphey: I am fortunate to live in Boulder, which is the mecca of triathlon. To accommodate the abundance of triathletes, my masters swimming program is really focused on distance freestyle sets — a lot of aerobic threshold work that is perfect for open water swimming. To maximize my time at the pool, I will usually double up on masters workouts or do one masters workout and then swim on my own until I accomplish my distance goal for the day.

On my own, I do a lot of ladder sets because I stay most mentally engaged during those sets. I also mix in a surprising amount of non-free stroke work and individual medley for an open water swimmer.  My shoulders always feel better if I add in a little non-free from time to time. Unlike a lot of distance swimmers, I do not pull much (less than 1000 yards per workout and no pull after 7000 yards). Instead I opt for the resistance of a parachute, drag suit, or sponge. While I love pulling, but I think my shoulders are healthier because I try to limit the amount of time I pull.

Each week, I try also to do one or two 10+ km workouts, usually back to back. Getting comfortable with swimming 10 km or more regularly helped immensely with dealing with fatigue during SCAR. I knew I would feel okay on the second day at least. 

I also am incredibly fortunate to train with some really fast endurance athletes in Boulder. Most of them are mid- and long-distance triathletes with swimming backgrounds, though there are a few pure swimmers around Boulder still. Swimming with people who are faster than you is the best way to get faster. I am so incredibly grateful that I have training partners, who consistently push me to be better. It also helps that they are all incredible people outside the pool too. If I had to pinpoint one thing that made a difference in my training for SCAR, it would be my training partners. They are the best. 

Daily News of Open Water Swimming: Do you do any open water training in Colorado?  

Corey Murphey: I do, but mostly in the summer at the Boulder or Union Reservoirs. Pre-SCAR, I drove down to the Chatfield Gravel Pond one day to get some cold water exposure. I also do the Mountain Swim Series, which is a fantastic series of shorter distance open water races here in Colorado. I’m looking forward to more open water swimming as the weather gets warmer. 

Daily News of Open Water Swimming: How do you work in all this training with your research, writings, patent submissions, etc.?  

Corey Murphey: I no longer do patent work, so that’s off my plate thankfully. But I still do a lot of research, teaching (I’m a Teaching Assistant currently), and coaching (masters and a youth club swim team).  Early in my Ph.D., a mentor told me that a Ph.D. is about increasing your capacity for stress and work. Mostly, that was a warning that my life was not about to get easier. But I took that to mean that eventually I would be able to handle more work with less stress. And I think that has been the case. 

I am a planner. I am fairly meticulous about scheduling my days down to the minute, and I think that helps fit in various life things. The drawbacks are that I live out of my car and bounce from one thing to the next, which doesn’t leave a lot of time for rest or a social life (though I still try to do one social thing a week). However, I don’t think I would want to live any other way.

My open water coach, Neil, gives me weekly goals to accomplish, usually with a simple statement about the yardage target and energy zone focus of the week. I plan the day to day swimming and workouts. Given my Ph.D. schedule, I sometimes have to move things around. There are days when I have to do doubles or triples to make up for a missed workout earlier in the week. Or sometimes I have to add a couple thousand yards to a workout if I know I won’t have time in the coming days. Essentially, being flexible and anticipating setbacks has allowed me to be consistent with training this year. 

I also have great examples of both athletic and professional excellence around me. My Ph.D. advisor is a 1988 Olympian in rowing. She encourages me to balance Ph.D. work with my athletic goals. My mom managed Ironman training during 100-hour work weeks in residency. And I’m surrounded by professional triathletes in Boulder, who balance a full-time work schedule with 20-30 hours a week of training. Someone in my life does something cool that inspires me professionally, athletically, and/or academically every day.

Daily News of Open Water Swimming: What were some of your mother’s impressions of the event? 

Corey Murphey: She loved it — mostly because the people she met at SCAR were just wonderful humans. She was grateful to Kent and the volunteers (e.g., Reptile, Pirate, Eri, Sam, and so many others) for keeping us all safe and navigating so many logistics. This race is a logistical marvel and the organizers handle it masterfully. She was also inspired by every swimmer and kayaker she met last week. She says that it is the hardest thing she’s ever done. I’m skeptical of that statement because she’s finished an Ironman, endured a medical residency, raised a kid on her own, and has worked as an emergency physician for 38 years… she’s quite impressive. 

I will also mention that for the first 3 days of SCAR, my friend, Amie Freeman, supported us (pictured below). She was wonderful. Can’t imagine a better friend to have around for something like this. Amie rented a boat during the Canyon swim to track the race for an hour or two. It was so cool to see my friend on a random boat about 4 miles into that swim.

Daily News of Open Water Swimming: Was your mother as sore or fatigued as you were?  

Corey Murphey: My mom is a fantastic endurance athlete. She finished the Ironman World Championships in Kona in 1988 while in her medical residency. She also swam in college. I had no doubts that she should would be able to do this. We used a pedal kayak, which helped a lot. She told me she loved me, but didn’t want to sacrifice her shoulders for my swim. The pedal kayak was a good compromise. She said she was most sore after the Roosevelt Lake crossing because the winds were so high, which meant she had to smash the pedals to stabilize the boat. She was also sore after Apache Lake because her seat cushion was not aligned correctly, so she sat sideways the whole swim. But otherwise, she did great. The worst part for her was the heat on Saguaro Lake. Her shoes melted and stuck to our kayak’s pedals.

Daily News of Open Water Swimming: Was Apache Lake tough – or what lake was the toughest (and which one was the easiest)?  

Corey Murphey: Apache Lake was tough, especially with the head winds for most of the second half. At the end of Apache, the wind picked up so much that I couldn’t see the buoys. So I didn’t know I had finished until I was right next to the buoys. My goal for Apache was to be patient. I knew I could finish that swim if I just managed my efforts, kept up with my feeds, and stayed relaxed in the wind. So I think I was in the right headspace for Apache to be manageable. Afterwards, I was tired of course, but not unreasonably so. 

I found Saguaro to be the easiest, but I think each day was challenging in its own way. Saguaro was my first attempt at an open water distance over 10 km.  I grew up swimming in a high volume distance program that routinely did 14-20 km in a day, so I knew the distance in Saguaro would be doable. But I didn’t know how I would handle the open water elements like cold, wind, and boat wake on top of that distance. Mentally, I found Saguaro a bit more taxing than the other days for that reason. I just didn’t know what to expect.

I actually found Canyon Lake to be the toughest. I pushed the pace from the start because I felt pretty good going into that day. During each feed, I could see Ildy Szekely, so I shorted a few feeds to stay in front, which was a massive mistake. I bonked. My triceps started to fatigue around when boat traffic picked up, and I suffered for the remaining mile or so of that swim. I was also pretty rattled by one particular boat that passed me. It was this giant river boat called “Dolly” — possibly the biggest boat I’ve ever seen. Canyon was beautiful though. The floors of that Canyon that you see at the start were absolutely gorgeous. 

Roosevelt was an unexpected challenge because I let myself fall into the trap of thinking 10 km was easy after the previous 3 days. Boy, was I wrong.

The wind on Roosevelt was worse that Apache in my opinion. The chop came from all directions and I had to switch my breathing pattern every 2-3 minutes. And this was my first night swim ever. There were so many new elements on Roosevelt that I wasn’t prepared for. I also had a few challenges like leaky goggles and running head first into a tree in the lake. My mom and I also had some issues finding the finish buoy, but we got there eventually. I think the only reason Roosevelt wasn’t the toughest is that the distance felt short compared to the previous days. 

Daily News of Open Water Swimming: Did you know that [leader] Ildy Szekely pulled out in Apache?  

Corey Murphey: I did not. I could only see Sue McKay after about 3 miles. She was about 1 minute ahead of me for the last 7 miles. I had no idea where Ildy was until Kent told us on the finish boat that she had gotten out. I just hoped everyone was okay. There were so many unpredictable factors – like wind, cold, and boats – that day that I could see where and why people would need to be pulled. Just getting in the water that morning took a great deal of courage. Ildy was so tough all week. I was sad to hear she abandoned Apache, but mostly grateful she was okay and could come back to swim the next day. While SCAR is a race, honestly just getting through it — even partially — is a win.  I respect everyone who both finished and didn’t finish that day because that was hard!

Daily News of Open Water Swimming: Did you ever think about stopping during SCAR?  

Corey Murphey: I did not. Stopping didn’t seem like an option for me. Someone was going to have to pull me from the water to get me to stop. Admittedly, I am a bit stubborn sometimes, but I think that is helpful for enduring distances like this. My goal for this event was merely to finish it — I did not need to swim fast. So I tried to mentally prepare myself each day to do what I needed to accomplish that goal. When I swim, I use the mantra ‘I can do hard things,’  which is a simple reminder that I can push through almost anything, even when it hurts. When things got hard last week, I just focused that mantra and on my stroke: my breathing pattern, my catch, and getting my hips up. 

I really only had one moment of doubt the whole four days. That occurred at the end of Apache. My elbow – that I broke in November – started to bug me a little bit due to the chop. I had modified my stroke to stabilize against the crosswinds and that stroke change was putting pressure on my elbow. The pain lasted less than 2 minutes though, and I was able to go back to swimming normally. 

Part of the beauty of SCAR is that everyone is gritty and determined.

I was so inspired hearing the stories from each day of the race. Sue McKay is an endurance beast and one of the nicest people ever. Her courage throughout the week was really motivational for me. She was flying during the first 2 km of Apache. Maggie Regan battled through an arm injury for the last 3 days and still managed to finish — and without complaining for even a second. Ildy has one of the prettiest freestyles around. She came to race each day, even when she was sore. I really respected her determination the whole week. There are hundreds of stories like those. I will also note that I think it takes a lot more grit to swim Apache in 8+ hours than it does to do it in 6 like I did. It’s just a lot of time to be alone with your own thoughts. 

Daily News of Open Water Swimming: Apache was cold at the start; were you ever worried about the cold or distance?  

Corey Murphey: During my preparation for SCAR, I was worried about the cold. My coaches warned me that the starts at SCAR are where most people are pulled from the race due to cold. To prepare, I had done some cold acclimation over the winter (e.g., ice baths).  More critically, I developed a plan for dealing with the cold. Basically, I try to keep myself as calm as possible. I knew I could handle about an hour of 56°F degree water (because I had done that two weeks prior to the race) if I stayed calm and kept my heart rate low at the beginning. My mom also had some hot chocolate on the kayak just in case I got hypothermic. Sugar and hot water can make a big difference in temperatures like this. 

I had no idea about the distance. I knew I had done enough training to be able to finish if I managed my efforts well, but pacing over that distance was a different story. I started the day with a long stroke (swimming “big” as one of my past coaches told me to do) and tried to push any thought about racing that day out of my mind. I just wanted to get to the end. I also needed that swim for my Catalina qualifier, so there was some additional pressure to just get through it, no matter how ugly it was. 

Daily News of Open Water Swimming: How are you going to train for Catalina – just keep up the same training?  

Corey Murphey: This week was an active recovery week for me, but I’m back to the grind next week.

Now that the weather is warmer, I’ll head outside more to do more open water swimming. I’ll build up from 4 to 8 hour open water swims over the next two months and then start to taper 2-3 weeks before Catalina. My training will still be similar to the lead up for SCAR, but higher volume with a bit more strength and intensity work in May and early June. I am also super fortunate that I just met about 40 new marathon swimming friends, so I’m excited to train with some new people over the summer. 

Daily News of Open Water Swimming: Do you do any dryland work?  

Corey Murphey: I do classical Pilates 2-4 days a week. That’s mostly mat work at home, but I have a private lesson with my teacher, Erica Ruge, once a week. I’ve done Pilates for the past 15 years. It has been the best thing for keeping my shoulders and back healthy. 

I also try to do strength and mobility work in the gym 2 days a week. My goal with strength work is just to keep my body healthy and correct any imbalances. I sometimes run and row too, though those things tend to drop off when my swimming volume is high. 

Final Thoughts

I am deeply grateful to Kent Nicholas and the SCAR volunteers. SCAR is an incredible event. I learned so much about myself and my swimming abilities last week. But more importantly, I joined an incredible community of people who love swimming as much as I do and I know will continue to inspire me throughout my life. 

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

For more information, visit www.scarswim.com.

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