Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.
What do American President Thomas Jefferson and U.S. Olympic marathon swimmer Alex Meyer have in common?
A love of Lake George in New York.
President Jefferson said in 1791, “Lake George is without comparison, the most beautiful water I ever saw; formed by a contour of mountains into a basin… finely interspersed with islands, its water limpid as crystal, and the mountain sides covered with rich groves… down to the water-edge: here and there precipices of rock to checker the scene and save it from monotony.”
Meyer is one of the four co-event directors of the 2016 Lake George Marathon Swim that is organized to highlight Lake George and the history of Lake George marathon swimming.
The 32-mile (51.5 km) swim commemorates Diane Struble‘s pioneering lake crossing in 1958 and the 6 other solo swimmers and one relay that replicated her inaugural swim.*
The night swim is scheduled to start at 5 pm on Diane’s Rock [see above] on September 17th with a mandatory closure of the course at 5 pm on the 18th. Registration is now complete when its maximum field was quickly reached with the following solo swimmers and teams:
Soloists:
1 Janet Harris, New York
2 Richard McKern, New Jersey
3 Robert Fernald, New Hampshire
4 Caroline Block, Maryland
5 Michele Walters, Washington D.C.
6 Edward Riley, New York
7 Elaine Howley, Massachusetts
8 Chris Greene, Georgia
9 Karyn Scherer, Vermont
10 Greg O’Connor, Massachusetts
11 Charlotte Brynn, Vermont
12 Dave Barra, New York
13 Marcella MacDonald, Connecticut
Relays:
1 Georgi: Nancy Steadman + Christie Ciraulo + Robert Breitel + John Humenik + William Ireland
2 Binghamton Alumni Colonials: Tom Curly + Adam Pack + Jeff Steindorf + Ed Smith + Brian Powell
3 Paul’s Traveling Swimmers: Kerry Giumarra + Tad Norton + Sara Swenson + Michael “Mac” Cauley + Mark Raiford
4 Smoke on the Water: Cheryl Marron + Willy Grimmke + Dan Canty + Rich Starace + Karen Byer + Matthew Glogowski
5 51.8: Carrie Mauro + Jason Gardner + Greg Hewlett + Wendy Matthews + Dave Morrissey + Liz Collins + Keith Vogel
6 Glens Falls Masters: George Stark + Dennie Swan-Scott + Patrick O’Keefe + Michael O’Keefe
7 Red Tide Masters: Abigail Fairman + David Uprichard + Jennifer Snyder + Sebastian Moll + Erin Dougherty
8 Geneseo Blue Wave: Jeff Singer + Eileen Goralski + Nate Foley + Josh Kaplan + Katie Jesaitis + Hailey Modelewski
9 Jersey Girls: Kimberly Plewa + Jennifer Bauman + Susan Kirk
10 Cross Country Mermaids: Janine Serell + Devon Clifford + Lyn Goldsmith + Andrea Ballard + Ali Hall
11 Jones Family: Kelsey Jones + Colby Brown + Margaret Jones + Meghan Jones + Caitlin Joyce + Anne Sinopoli
12 Just Add Water: Janet Klemm + Sara Wonder + Kristen Lee + Phyllis Ho + Spencer Schneider
13 Shawangunk Swimmers: Laura Wong-Pan + Bridget Barclay + Ed Stoner + William Miller
14 Nancy Lange + Clarence “Duke” Dahlin + Bob Cable + John Nogue + Peter Cullinan + Peter Bartu + Jean Allen
The event also includes a 2.5 km, 5 km and 10 km races on August 27th.
*Solo Lake George crossings have been completed by the following swimmers:
1958 – Diane Struble, age 25 in 35 hours 30 minutes
1962 – Bill Stevens, age 31 in 31 hours 27 minutes
1967 – George Dempsey, age 17 in 32 hours 15 minutes
1977 – Stella Taylor, age 45 in 26 hours 51 minutes
1981 – John Freihofer in 21 hours 26 minutes
1983 – Jerry Ferris, age 43 in 29 hours 15 minutes
Copyright © 2015 by World Open Water Swimming Association