Ildiko Szekely (45, Hungary, @swimplifly) and Corey Murphey (34, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio) are two newcomers to marathon swimming, but they battled it out like hardened veterans on Day Two of the SCAR Swim Challenge, a 4-day stage swim in the desert backcountry of Arizona.

Back and forth across Canyon Lake, the two newbies took and re-took over the lead until Szekely put on a final burst with less than a kilometer to go and won in 3:05:51.8, less than a minute over Murphey in 3:06:49.7.

Szekely, who has never swum longer than 10 km before yesterday’s Saguaro crossing, wrote, “This event is not just testing my endurance — it is asking for my patience, resilience, and trust. I have a tendency to race every event I enter, but this time, it’s about rhythm over speed, grit over glory. I’m equal parts nervous and exhilarated. I know the miles ahead will demand everything I have.”

Similarly, the SCAR experience will ultimately prove useful to Murphey. She will attempt her first major solo channel swim across the Catalina Channel this July.

In an interesting twist of fate at SCAR this year, Chris Morgan who is kayaking for Szekely last met Murphey over 12 years ago when he was an assistant coach at Stanford University and Murphey was the swim team manager. They last met on the same pool deck at Stanford back in 2012 [see photo below]. Now she is seeking her PhD in Numerical and Scientific Computing as Morgan is concurrently seeking his own PhD at the University of Lausanne. On dryland, Murphey is a well-published researcher in computer science with seven patents to her name.

Stefan Reinke from Honolulu, said “Today was very fast for everyone. The conditions were pretty good and I kept my good vibes mantra going. Right now [for tomorrow], Apache Lake looks smooth with barely a ripple on the surface. Of course, anything can happen in the next 12 hours…“

Tomorrow, the field from the USA, Hungary, Australia, Canada, Ireland, Great Britain, Ecuador, France, and Columbia take on the mighty 22.8 km course across Apache Lake on Day Three. Saturday culminates with 10 km triangular course under the stars at night in Roosevelt Lake.

Event visionary Kent Nicholas said, “The beauty of Canyon Lake is no secret. Having beautiful people swim it together is a great day.”

2025 SCAR – Canyon Lake, Day Two Results

1. Ildiko Szekely (45, Hungary, @swimplifly) 3:05:51.8
2. Corey Murphey (34, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio) 3:06:49.7
3. Susan McKay (46, Canada, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here, IISA bio here) 3:16:59.6
4. Jorge Agudelo (33, Columbia) 3:23:50.2
5. Haley Chasin (27, USA, @chasin1997) 3:27:45.5
6. Ryan Stille (52, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 3:38:36.8
7. Maggie Regan (33, USA) 3:40:30.6
8. Stefan Reinke (66, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 3:44:04.0
9. Amanda Davies (44, Australia) 3:44:56.4
10. Karen Nixon (58, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 3:47:17.6
11. Bradley Lundblad (33, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 3:50:11.7
12. Dave Berry (50, Ireland, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 3:57:40.1
13. Mike Gregory (61, Australia, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 3:58:48.4
14. Erika Beauchamp (51, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 4:00:51.8
15. Felicia A Bianchi (62, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 4:08:44.6
16. Alain Simac (43, France, @alainsimac, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here, IISA bio here) 4:12:04.7
17. Lauren Byron (49, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 4:12:11.6
18. Amy Ennion (32, UK, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 4:15:07.3
19. Madison Carioty (29, USA) 4:15:30.7
20. Jennifer Murphy (49, USA) 4:16:19.2
21. Kerianne Brownlie (31, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 4:16:26.2
22. Natalie Merrow (44, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 4:18:57.4
23. Peter Hayden (67, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 4:19:19.8
24. Tara Grout (53, Australia, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 4:21:33.8
25. Sara Palacios (39, Ecuador, @sarademar7mares, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here, IISA bio here) 4:21:36.0
26. Amy Mazur (62, USA, @amygmazur) 4:31:45.4
27. Brianna Jackson (41, Arizona, ) 4:33:28.8
28. Chaz Moody (40, USA) 4:33:45.3
29. Marin Jackson (38, USA) 4:35:13.9
30. Isaac Vernon (24, USA, @themakomethod) 4:36:55.8
31. Kristiana Fox (46, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 4:51:05.5
32. Julie Boxsell (54, Australia, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 4:52:10.0
33. Deborah Gardner (62, USA) 4:55:35.5
34. Christina MacDougall (46, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 4:58:34.1
35. Jamie Tout (71, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 5:12:50.8
36. Sara Wolf (56, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 5:13:24.3
37. Jason Heavens (61, Canada) DNF
38. Juliet Kadlecek (55, USA, @julietkad, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here, IISA bio here) DNF
39. Mark Spratt (69, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here, IISA bio here) DNF

For more information, visit www.scarswim.com.

Steven Munatones described the event, “SCAR, set in the dry, rugged American southwest desert of Arizona, is no longer under the radar. The secret has long been out about the out-of-the-way 4-day stage swim that focuses on camaraderie rather than competition, passion rather than pressure. Swimmers from around the world have discovered the joy and challenge of swimming across wind-whipped lakes where flexibility and recovery play just as important elements as do feeds and navigation. Set along four majestic reservoirs on the Salt River amid the desert wild, Kent has organized an incredible adventure that started out as a rogue swim by locals. SCAR is a physical test and a psychological challenge that remains tough, but is made easier by the other participants.“

© 2025 Daily News of Open Water Swimming

“to educate, enthuse, and entertain all those who venture beyond the shoreline“

A World Open Water Swimming Federation project.