Avishag Kofman Turek (××××©× ×§××פ×× ×××Øק) is a 48-year-old artist, coach, and lecturer from Tel Aviv who has steadily stamped her name and records all over the growing marathon swimming community in her native Israel.
In addition to her 16 career crossings of the 20.5 km Sea of Galilee in Israel between (see below), she participated in the 16 km unprecedented Dead Sea Swim in 2016 and the 3-day Sea of Galilee Perimeter Swim. She was the first Israeli woman to cross the 33.5 km English Channel (13 hours 35 minutes in 2017, the first Israeli swimmer to cross the 32.3 km Catalina Channel (11 hours 59 minutes in 2018), and the first Israeli woman to complete the 20 Bridges Swim around Manhattan Island (7 hours 39 minutes in 2019) to become the first Israeli to achieve the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming at the age of 44. She was also the first Israeli to completed a 35 km crossing of the North Channel from Northern Ireland to Scotland (12 hours 40 minutes in 2023).
But Turek’s biggest mark in the sport of marathon swimming is her dominating presence across the Sea of Galilee. Between the ages of 39 and 46, she has completed 16 lengthwise crossings and 3 widthwise crossings. Her record swims include the following:
- fastest overall one-way lengthwise crossing in 5 hours 34 minutes (41 minutes faster than the fastest men)
- first overall and fastest female two-way lengthwise crossing in 14 hours 54 minutes (only 2 minutes slower than the fastest male crossings)
- fastest overall one-way widthwise crossing in 2 hours 52 minutes (30 minutes faster than the fastest man)
- fastest and only two-way widthwise crossing in 6 hours 42 minutes (with an average widthwise time that is faster than any one-way crossing of any man)
Avishag Kofman Turek Sea of Galilee Career 20.5 km Lengthwise Crossings
- 8 hours 2 minutes (north to south) 4 September 2014 (tandem swim with Theodore Yach)
- 7 hours 50 minutes (south to north) 9 December 2016
- 6 hours 50 minutes from south to north) 24 February 2017
- 6 hour 15 minutes (south to north) 29 June 2017 in a tandem swim with Guy Cohen
- 7 hours 2 minutes (south to north) 20 April 2018 in a tandem swim with Guy Cohen
- 6 hours 46 minutes (south to north) 30 April 2018
- 6 hours 47 minutes (south to north) 18 June 2018 in a tandem swim with Fabrice Beer-Gabel
- 5 hours 50 minutes (south to north) 29 March 2019
- 2-way in 14 hours 54 minutes (north-south-north) 30 October 2019. 1st leg in 7:31 + 2nd leg in 7:23
- 6: hours 9 minutes (north to south) 12 May 2020
- 5 hours 53 minutes (north to south) 9 March 2021
- 2-way in 15 hours 25 minutes (north-south-north) 13 April 2021. 1st leg in 7:04 + 2nd leg in 8:21
- 5 hours 34 minutes (south to north) 27 May 2021
- 6 hours 6 mnutes (south to north) 26 October 2021
For good measure, she has also completed three 10 km widthwise crossings
Avishag Kofman Turek Sea of Galilee Career 10 km Widthwise Crossings
- 2 hours 52 minutes (east to west) 19 November 2020 (45)
- 2-way in 6 hours 42 minutes (east-to-west-east) on 27 November 2021 (46)
She writes everyday about life and swimming. “Iām coaching swimming at the pool and teaching people how to swim at the sea. Itās very important to me to educate people about the love of water. I completed a crossing of the North Channel this September at 48 years old. If you had asked me about this crossing 10 years ago, I didnāt think I could swim it.”
Historical 20.5 km Lengthwise Sea of Galilee Crossings
1. Yitzhak Yehezkel (Israel, 23) in 9:39:44 from South to North on 28 October 1944
2. Yitzhak Yehezkel (Israel, 32) in 10:18:20 from North to South on 23 August 1953
3. Yehuda Shevek (Israel, 22) in 8:18:30 from South to North on 22 September 1953
4. Oded Paz (Israel, 21) in 7:23:00 from North to South on 29 October 1953
5. Malka Tenenbaum (Israel, 17) in 9:20:40 from North to South on 23 October 1954
6. Edna Borenstein (Israel, 17) in 9:40:00 from North to South on 23 October 1954
7. Yitzhak Yehezkel (Israel, 34) in 8:33:25 from South to North 9 October 1955
8. Mary Margaret Revell (Israel, 27) in 9:39:10 from North to South on 23 October 1964
9. Alon Peled (Israel, 42) in 9:00:00 from North to South on 2 September 2005
10. Elisha Gefen (Israel, 49) in 9:00:00 from North to South on 2 September 2005
11. Tal Snunit (Israel, 44) in 7:15:00 from North to South on 7 July 2006
12. Adi Parag (Israel, 49) in 7:15:00 from North to South on 7 July 2006
13. Ram Barkai (South Africa, 48) in 7:15:00 from North to South on 7 July 2006
14. Bill Welzien (USA, 50) in 10:25:00 from North to South on 2 September 2009
15. Hadar Aviram (USA, 38) in 9:30:00 from North to South on 21 December 2013
16. Yaron Davidi (Israel, 53) in 8:30:00 from North to South on 16 May 2014
17. Elad Benyamin (Israel, 40) in 8:30:00 from North to South on 16 May 2014
18. Avishag Turek (Israel, 39) in 8:02:00 from North to South on 4 September 2014
19. Theodore Yach (South Africa, 56) in 8:02:00 from North to South on 4 September 2014
20. Yigal Sela (Israel, 63) in 10:15:00 from North to South on 26 May 2015
21. Avishag Turek (Israel, 41) in 7:50:00 from South to North on 9 December 2016
22. Stuart Hacker (UK, 39) in 7:55:00 from South to North on 9 December 2016
23. Yaron Davidi (Israel, 55) in 8:23:00 from South to North on 9 December 2016
24. Idit Ron (Israel, 59) in 9:17:00 from South to North on 9 December 2016
25. Gad Benjamin (Israel, 70) in 9:31:00 from South to North on 9 December 2016
26. Avishag Turek (Israel, 42) in 6:50:00 from South to North on 24 February 2017
27. Avishag Turek (Israel, 42) in 6:15:00 from South to North on 29 June 2017
28. Guy Cohen (Israel, 52) in 6:15:00 from South to North on 29 June 2017
29. Avishag Turek (Israel, 43) in 7:02:00 from South to North on 20 April 2018
30. Guy Cohen (Israel, 53) in 7:02:00 from South to North on 20 April 2018
31. Stuart Hacker (UK, 41) in 7:07:00 from South to North on 20 April 2018
32. Mickey Helps (UK, 52) in 7:07:00 from South to North on 20 April 2018
33. Avishag Turek (Israel, 43) in 6:46:00 from South to North on 30 April 2018
34. Avishag Turek (Israel, 43) in 6:47:00 from South to North on 18 June 2018
35. Fabrice Beer-Gabel (Israel, 49) in 6:47:00 from South to North on 18 June 2018
36. Guy Cohen (Israel, 54) in 6:40:00 from South to North on 22 March 2019
37. Eyal Schachner (Israel, 48) in 6:40:00 from South to North on 22 March 2019
38. Avishag Turek (Israel, 44) in 5:50:00 from South to North on 29 March 2019
39. Avishag Turek (Israel, 44) 2-day in 14:54:00 from North-South-North on on 30 October 2019
40. Joe Zemaitis (USA, 39) 2-way in 14:52:00 from South-North-South on 15 November 2019
41. John Zemaitis (USA, 36) 2-way in 14:52:00 from South-North-South on 15 November 2019
42. Avishag Turek (Israel, 45) in 6:19:15 from North to South on 12 May 2020
43. Debbie Sacks Chitiz (Israel, 60) in 8:12:00 from North to South on 28 October 2020
44. Amit Renan (Israel, 52) in 10:47:00 from North to South on 29 October 2020
45. Michael Hassoun (Israel, 49) in 8:07:00 from South to North on 3 November 2020
46. Yaron Rosenbaum (Israel, 46) in 8:07:00 from South to North on 3 November 2020
47. Gad Benjamin (Israel, 74) in 8:58:00 from South to North on 23 November 2020
48. Einat Or (Israel, 49) in 8:58:00 from South to North on 23 November 2020
49. Tzvi Golzman (Israel, 46) in 8:58:00 from South to North on 23 November 2020
50. Eyal Zeldin (Israel, 59) in 8:58:00 from South to North on 23 November 2020
51. Avishag Turek (Israel, 46) in 5:53:38 from North to South on 9 March 2021
52. Avishag Turek (Israel, 46) 2-way in 15:25:00 from North-South-North on 13 April 2021
53. Yaron Davidi (Israel, 60) in 9:30:00 from South to North on 22 April 2021
54. Dan Davidi (Israel, 50) in 9:30:00 from South to North on 22 April 2021
55. Avishag Turek (Israel, 46) in 5:34:00 from South to North on 27 May 2021
56. Yael Friedland (Israel, 36) in 8:31:00 from South to North on 6 October 2021
57. Avishag Turek (Israel, 46) in 6:06:00 from South to North on 26 October 2021
58. Attila Manyoki (Hungary, 49) in 6:28:00 from South to North on 3 April 2022
59. Matthew Moseley (USA, 55) in 7:24:00 from North to South on 14 April 2022
60. Pat Gallant-Charette (USA, 71) in 8:22:00 from North to South on 25 April 2022
61. Thorsten Ullrich Stegemann (Germany, 56) in 6:21:00 from South to North on 12 May 2022
62. Natalia Chuich (Russia, 56) in 6:53:00 from South to North on 18 May 2022
63. Debbie Sacks Chitiz (Israel, 62) in 8:16:00 from South to North on 25 May 2022
64. Kathleen Wilson (USA, 59) 2-way in 16:45:00 from South-North-South on 30 May 2022
65. Shai Meinis (Israel, 48) in 6:51:00 from South to North on 15 June 2022
66. Sam Whelpton (South Africa, 37) in 6:09:00 fromSouth to North on 20 September 2022
67. Yael Friedland (Israel, 37) in 11:00:00 from South to North on 3 October 2022
68. Jan Äuk (Czech Republic, 42) in 6:46:33 from South to North on 16 March 2023
69. William Smith (Great Britain, 36) in 7:42:00 from South to North on 22 March 2023
70. Aryan Singh Dadiala (India, 22) in 6:15:00 from South to North on 21 April 2023
71. Edward Riley (USA, 64) in 6:45:20 from South to North on 24 April 2023
72. Jamie Tout (USA, 69) in 8:24:20 from South to North on 24 April 2023
73. Avram Iancu (Romania, 47) in 11:46:51 from South to North on 2 May 2023
For more information about the Sea of Galilee (aka Kinneret or Lake Tiberias), visit the Galilee Marathon Swimming Association here.
Ā© 2023 Daily News of Open Water Swimming
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