Rondi Davies, PhD (56, Australia, MSF bio here) grew up in Papua New Guinea. At the age of 11, her family moved back to their native Australia and she attended high school in Canberra.
“Growing up in Papua New Guinea was really great. It was in the tropics, we were outdoors all the time, we didn’t have television, and we swam constantly. Everything centered around the ocean,” recalled Dr. Davies who was inducted in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame as an Honor Administrator in its Class of 2027.
She swims – fast.
She models circumnavigation swims – with precision.
She effectively organizes, coordinates, ratifies, and recruits volunteers, pilots, kayakers, and support crew for marathon swimmers who enter in New York Open Water (@nyopenwater) events as its president [see here].
Growing up, everything centered around the ocean for Dr. Davies. Now, it seems, much – but not all by a long shot – of her life is centered around Manhattan Island.
Dr. Davies is a prolific marathon swimmer who has swum one of the fastest circumnavigations around Manhattan Island in 5 hours 44 minutes. She and David Barra and Alex Arévalo co-founded and manage New York Open Water and its 2 Bridges Swim, 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim, 20 Bridges Manhattan Island Swim, 40 Bridges Swim, Spuyten Duyvil 10K, Ederle Burke Swim, and Terry Laughlin Celebration Swim. She handles the micro and macro details of these events behind the scenes from choosing dates to modeling each circumnavigation and river swim, securing permits, coordinating volunteers, and innumerable other unseen – but essential – responsibilities. She spends every event day on the water keeping trackers running and recording data and is always looking to improve on the accuracy of the event timelines.
Along her career, she has been inducted as an Honouree in Australian Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (2020), received the 2016 Streeter Award for Service to Marathon Swimming from the Marathon Swimmers Federation, and co-founded the longest competitive stage swim in the world, the 193 km 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim.
But the signature swim is the 45.9 km circumnavigation swim around Manhattan Island. Originally called the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, the race was rebranded and significantly expanded as 20 Bridges Manhattan Island Swim when Dr. Davies teamed up with David Barra and Alex Arévalo.
Kickstarted by Drury Gallagher and Thomas Hetzel in 1983, and then carried on by Morty Berger for 20 years under the NYC Swim banner, Davies, Barra, and Arévalo stepped up in 2016 – and delivered in a big way. With a great attention to details and logistics, they handled the permitting process with the multiple local, municipal, county, state, and federal agencies. As a result, New York Open Water trio shared their collective passion and energy with the global marathon swimming world. extending the opportunities to swim around, along, and near the Big Apple – occasionally twice with the 91.8 km 40 Bridges Double Manhattan Island Swim.
As a research scientist and geologist, she remains disciplined, analytical, and scientific in her approach, enabling her to organize smoothly run events and tirelessly ensuring that each swimmer has an enjoyable, safe experience.
Ned Denison, chairperson of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, sums up her marathon swimming career, “Rondi co-founded New York Open Water in 2016 and directed its marathon swimming events, including 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim, 20 and 40 Bridges Swim Around Manhattan, 20 Bridges Reverse, Ederle-Burke, the Staten Island Circumnavigation, the Spuyten Duyvil 10K, and several other events over the last 10 years. NYOW organized more than 45 events annually, and between 2011 and 2026 has welcomed 862 swimmers from 57 countries who have participated in more than 1,425 marathon swims.
Davies managed every aspect of event planning including permits, administration and safety teams, boats, GPS tracking, website, social media, and results. Drawing on her scientific background, she selected swim dates and developed personalized models for each swimmer based on the tidal currents and pace. She has modelled 20 Bridges record attempts in both clockwise and counter-clockwise directions, contributing to three record-breaking Manhattan swims in both directions including by IMSHOF Honorees Andy Donaldson and Joe Zemaitis. She also coordinated the pioneering Staten Island circumnavigation – and helped NYOW donate more than US $100,000 to charities between 2016 and 2026 while offering discounted entries to younger swimmers.”
An award, very well deserved.
© 2026 Daily News of Open Water Swimming
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