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Bringing Color and Personality to the 2026 SCAR Swim

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The 2026 SCAR Swim Challenge, the 4-day stage swim in Arizona, is coming up.

Patty Hermann (65, USA, MSF bio here) said, “We’re down to the countdown to SCAR 2026, its 15th year. For an event that started off as a beer drinking open water test course among a select few, it has grown to a world class event. It has morphed into its own. Looking back on the winners each year taps into so many elite open water swimmers.

I think one of the things that make SCAR so special is the dedication of Kent Nicholas‘ posse of volunteers and the camaraderie that is guaranteed when you stick around for all four days of competition. From the practice swim party that I host, then Kent’s welcome dinner, and the day-to-day support the swimmers show each other, I honestly think it personifies the closeness of the open water swimmers community. I always encourage everyone to come to the practice swim because if you’re a newbie, it will calm your nerves. And Kent, at his welcome party, sets the vibe for the week as fun and a search for personal achievements as opposed to a competitive atmosphere.”

The swimmers come from a variety of backgrounds, from different places and from different walks of life. Five swimmers who make a difference put their own lives on the line at work.

Pararescue instructors Matt Schollard, (@mattschollard), Alec Offner, Sean Hopper, Marcus Ramirez, and CRO Instructor Alek Stashik are part of the elite Air Force Pararescue team that are highly skilled combat veterans who teach essential skills such as advanced combat diving, high-altitude parachuting, tactical medical rescue, and survival techniques to ensure students can perform search and rescue in hostile environments. 

Known as PJs, they are the only Department of Defense elite forces specifically trained for full-spectrum personnel recovery, serving as both combatants and paramedics. Instructors are experts in these fields, often having served in specialized units. They guide trainees through a 2-year Superman School being able to handle the ntense physical and mental rigors of being able to conduct combat rescue and tactics for rescuing downed personnel in combat, trauma patient management, parachuting, scuba diving, rock climbing, and arctic survival.

Schollard, Offner, Hopper, Ramirez, and Stashik train train their colleagues to live up to the motto, “That Others May Live,” ensuring they can operate in remote, denied, or hostile areas. 

The men are part of the 68th Rescue Squadron / Guardian Angel Formal Training Unit in Tucson, Arizona and are participating in SCAR as a charity event in honor of their fallen teammates and their families. All proceeds will go directly to the Pararescue Foundation whose mission is to honor the commitment and sacrifice of those who live by the motto: “That Others May Live”, relieve the physical and psychological demands of service, and provide tragedy, transition, and education assistance.

To learn more, visit here.

These elite pararescuemen are part of the 2026 SCAR crew”

2026 SCAR Entrants

For more information, visit www.scarswim.com.

© 2026 Daily News of Open Water Swimming

“to educate, enthuse, and entertain all those who venture beyond the shoreline“

World Open Water Swimming Federation, a human-powered project

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