Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.
Ned Denison, chairperson of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, interviewed Bob McCormack, author of the book The Jim Doty Story: Accounts of Some of the Marathon Swims of a Great Boston Swimmer ion today’s WOWSA Live. Their discussion centered around International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Honor Swimmer James Doty who died in April 2012.
McCormack recalled, among other things, how:
- Doty established the International Swimming Hall of Fame Davids-Wheeler Award in 1968.
- Doty re-started the Boston Light Swim in 1976 after it was stopped in 1941 due to World War II. He ultimately completed 18 solo swims and participated in 5 relays.
- Doty, a former shot putter and hammer thrower at Harvard University, was “swimming the fences” in the early 1960’s at L Street Bathhouse together with swimming buddy Dr. Joel Saperstein.
- Doty training at Whelan Beach where Jack Starrett first saw him swim. Starrett had cerebral palsy and swam in English Channel by “swimming endlessly” at the beach.
- Doty completed a 37 km peninsula swim in Gloucester, Massachusetts 12 hours 31 minutes in 1968 around Point Andrew and Cape Ann.
- Doty swam a charity swim to support the Save Our Shores organization.
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