Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.
Over the Stage 4, Cheryl Reinke set a new course record in 4 seconds with a 4 hour 10 minute victory.
Reinke [shown above] extended her overall lead to 23 minutes over Paige Christie with an impressive record-setting 15.2-mile swim between the Newburgh Beacon Bridge and the Bear Mountain Bridge in the 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim.
She beat the stage record set in 2012 by the renowned Grace van der Byl. The 51-year-old from South Carolina’s Palmetto Masters also bested the winning times of previous stage winners – all younger than her: Rondi Davies in 2011 (5:28:45), Hannah Borgeson in 2013 (4:40:05), Dave Farrell (4:12:26) in 2014, and Lori King (4:17:11) in 2015.
Both Reinke and Christie have now swum 66.5 miles (107 km) over the past 4 days in a total cumulative time of 21 hours 24 minutes and 21 hours 48 minutes, respectively.
Unlike Stage 2 when most of the swimmers failed to finish due to turbulence due to winds and a strong flood current, all 19 swimmers completed the Stage 4 under relatively calm conditions and 75.6°F (24.2°C) water.
Janine Serell from who pulled up the rear was most appreciative of the organization and its volunteers. “Thanks everyone for pulling for me. It was a tough go, but truth be told, I think this bridge belongs to Alex Arevalo, my amazing partner today on the river. I truly would not have made it without his determination and belief that I could do it…because I wasn’t sure after West Point.”
But with the U.S. Military Academy behind her, she cruised to the finish in 6 hours 46 minutes.
Stage 4 Results:
1. Cheryl Reinke 4:10:41 (total time: 21:24:26; fourth of 7 stages)
2. Sydne Dider 4:11:46
3. Jamie Tout 4:21:35
4. Paige Christie 4:22:10 (total time: 21:48:03; fourth of 7 stages)
5. Andrew Feldman 4:43:26
6. Steve Gruenwald 4:52:13
7. Charles van der Horst 4:56:19
8. Spencer Schneider 4:58:57
9. Devon Clifford 4:59:02
10. Nicholas Burnham 5:04:24
11. Susan Kirk 5:13:25
12. Larisa Agudelo 5:20:59
13. Leonard Jansen 5:22:50
14. Cristian Vergara 5:23:55
15. Javier Olivares 5:29:50
16. Mo Siegel 5:51:26
17. Kim Hedges 5:51:55
18. Thomas W. Kofler 6:15:18
19. Janine Serell 6:46:03
For more information, visit www.8bridges.org.
Additional articles on the 2016 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim:
*History: Christie vs. Reinke Recalls Van Der Byl vs. Davies Battle
*Stage 1: Cheryl Reinke Wins 8 Bridges Stage 1 Marathon
*Competitor: Elena Pavlova Swimming From Ukraine To New York
*Stage 2: Paige Christie Overcomes Conditions At 8 Bridges
*Stage 3: Cheryl Reinke Extends Slight Lead Under 8 Bridges
*Ageless Swimmers: Touting Jamie Under 8 Bridges
*Stage 5: Top Duo Duel Each Other And Weather
*Nerves: Goose Bumps While Swimming The 8 Bridges
*Stage 6: Swimming In Stages Down The Hudson River
*Stage 7: Cheryl Reinke, Paige Christie Go 7 For 7 At 8 Bridges
*Perseverance: Stage 6 Takes 6 For Capri Djatiasmoro
Photo shows Rondi Davies and Cheryl Reinke swimming in the lead.
Copyright © 2016 by World Open Water Swimming Association