Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

Dr. Caroline Block won the inaugural MSF Monahan Award that recognizes an outstanding and original series of marathon swims achieved over the past four years.

The four years have been a whirlwind of activity for the anthropologist from New York.

She participated in the 2016 Memphremagog Winter Swimming Festival, 2016 and 2017 U.S. Winter Swimming Association National Championships, and the 2016 20 Bridges Manhattan Swim in 8 hours 48 minutes, completed a 35 km crossing of the North Channel from Northern Ireland to Scotland in 14 hours 31 minutes, completed a 33.8 km crossing of the English Channel in 11 hours 52 minutes, completed a 16 km Verrazano Bridge to Marine Parkway in 3 hours 40 minutes as a test swim for Coney Island Brighton Beach Open Water Swimmers, attempted an unprecedented two-way crossing of the North Channel between Northern Ireland and Scotland where her first leg from Northern Ireland to Scotland was 15 hours 32 minutes, completed a 51.8 km crossing of Lake George in 19 hours 21 minutes to set a women’s record, finished the 2017 7.5 km Battle of Carlingford Lough in 1 hour 54 minutes, completed a 56 km crossing of Lake Cayuga in New York in 21 hours 36 minutes, attempted history’s second two-way attempt of the North Channel from Northern Ireland to Scotland to Northern Ireland that was aborted after 25 hours 58 minutes and 61.2 km where she completed her third career one-way crossing from Northern Ireland to Scotland in 16 hours 45 minutes, became the first woman and second individual overall to swim 44.3 km from Santa Rosa Island to the California mainland in 20 hours 36 minutes, and completed a 30.5 km crossing from the California mainland to Santa Rosa Island in 14 hours 56 minutes in 2018.

Dr. Block is shown on left swimming across the North Channel from Northern Ireland to Scotland in 14 hours 31 minutes.

Copyright © 2008-2019 by World Open Water Swimming Association