https://youtu.be/quwn7PAq9-I

Through scattered storms, the 72-year-old Anna Fugina finished another 20.1 km circumnavigation swim around Key West, Florida – 47 years after she pioneered the first swim around Key West as a 25-year-old. In 1977, she completed her first swim in 12 hours 59 minutes on the 4th of July – that was the catalyst of the Swim Around Key West race that she organized again on June 22nd.

The swimmers ranged between 18 and 74 – including Bill Welzien who completed his 140th swim around Key West alongside swimmers from the states of Pennsylvania, California, Florida, Connecticut, Utah, Illinois, South Carolina, Texas, Missouri, Ohio, Georgia, New York, Brazil, Louisiana, Colorado, and North Carolina, as well as Umit Cengiz from Istanbul, Turkey.

48th Annual Swim Around Key West Results

1. Kyle Stewart 4 hours 50 minutes 52 seconds
2. Jenna Jay 4 hours 57 minutes 6 seconds
3. Megan Corredor 5 hours 2 minutes 37 seconds
4. Jay Jackson 5 hours 9 minutes 40 seconds
5. Umit Cengiz 5 hours 9 minutes 59 seconds
6. Dwight Davis 5 hours 19 minutes 23 seconds
7. Sharon Stewart 5 hours 20 minutes 57 seconds
8. Andrew Edwards 5 hours 24 minutes 32 seconds
9. Deanna Doohaluk 5 hours 34 minutes 17 seconds
10. Jeanne DeBonis 5 hours 36 minutes 2 seconds
11. Mason Nosam 5 hours 36 minutes 49 seconds
12. Kenny Lehman 5 hours 39 minutes 30 seconds
13. Paige Beattie 5 hours 45 minutes 36 minutes
14. Paul Mellinger 5 hours 48 minutes 14 seconds
15. Stacy Zedek 5 hours 57 minutes 0 seconds
16. Mary Mclaughlin 5 hours 57 minutes 43 seconds
17. Joelle Beard 6 hours 5 minutes 24 seconds
18. Stephanie Lynn Pena 6 hours 8 minutes 27 seconds
19. Bill Welzien 6 hours 20 minutes 22 seconds
20. Bill Haselden 6 hours 26 minutes 14 seconds
21. Summer Wesson 6 hours 36 minutes 14 seconds
22. Shelley Stewart 6 hours 38 minutes 19 seconds
23. Jordan Blasioli 6 hours 40 minutes 44 seconds
24. Jeanette Richards 8 hours 13 minutes 54 seconds
25. Patrick Battistini 8 hours 19 minutes 32 seconds
26. Anna Fugina 8 hours 41 minutes 32 seconds

Relay teams also included duo relays (Izabella Wreski and Julia Wreski, Pamela Coleman and Kevin Coleman, Drew Rollins and Jason Hanks, Josh Weeden and Tom Corrigan) and trio relays (Nathan Rieck, Paul Rieck and Steve Rieck, Gregory Walker, Daniel Wonner and Zach Nahman, Sara Zumbrum, Allison Gecewicz and Jan Stover, Floyd Blackwell, Mike Larbig and Dori Larbig, Carol Koiro, Shawn Hoyt and Meg Godfrey Sweetland).

Fugina’s Story

The young Fugina had suffered injuries from a car accident and used swimming as therapy to assist in recovery, first swimming around Key West in 1977. The next year in 1978, Fugina finished the 20.1 km Swim Around Key West in 8 hours, a nearly 5-hour improvement. As a 72-year-old retired nurse, she competes, helps organize escort kayakers, answers questions from swimmers, and performs many of the little underappreciated behind-the-scenes duties that volunteers do.

She explains her track record in the event, “I have not missed an Annual Swim Around Key West.  I have swum solo, 2-person or 3-person swims throughout the Annual Swim Around Key West history. My best solo swim time was 6 hours 25 minutes which was second place overall on July 11th 1987.“

Welzien’s Story

Former 4-time winner Bill Welzien has now completed a career total of 140 circumnavigation swims around Key West – without any intentions of stopping, including his 6 hour 26 minute circumnavigation as a 74-year-old.

For more information, visit swimaroundkeywest.com.

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