From Captain Matthew Webb who first crossed the English Channel in 1875 to Lynne Cox who was the first person to swim in Antarctica, open water swimming has always attracted heroic and risk-taking adventurers. Many, but not all, of these adventurers, champions and record-holders have been inducted in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (IMSHOF).
The IMSHOF was founded in 1961 by the Professional Marathon Swimmers Association to recognize the accomplished marathon swimmers.
Under the direction of Buck Dawson, the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) founder and executive director, the IMSHOF began its affiliation with the ISHOF.
Currently, the IMSHOF is administered by Dale Petranech and an international selection committee.
1. Shelley Taylor-Smith of Australia, the dominant female professional marathon swimmer from the mid-1980’s to the mid-1990’s
2. Sid Cassidy of Florida, former chairman of the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and former pro marathon swimmer
3. Tim Johnson of Massachusetts, author of The History of Open Water Swimming and the world’s foremost authority on tidal influences on open water swimmers
4. Paul Asmuth of California, the dominant professional marathon swimmer of the 1980’s
5. Michael Read of England, 1960 Olympic Games swimmer and Chairman of the Channel Swimming Association
6. Conrad Wennerberg of Illinois, Chairman Emeritus of the IMSHOF and author of Winds, Waves and Sunburn: A Brief History of Marathon Swimming, one of the most authoritative books written on marathon swimming
7. Steven Munatones of California, creator of The Daily News of Open Water Swimming and the Open Water Swimming Dictionary
8. Alison Streeter of the U.K., Queen of the Channel for her 43 successful swims of the English Channel
9. Kevin Murphy of the U.K., King of the Channel for his 34 successful swims of the English Channel
10. Pierre Otis of Canada, former Chairman of the Traversée internationale du lac St-Jean
11. Dale Petranech of New Jersey, Honorary Secretary of the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (shown above)
12. Carol Sing of California, oldest female swimmer to cross the English Channel
13. Montserrat Tresserras of Spain, first Spaniard to swim the Straits of Gibraltar and English Channel and first female swimmer to swim the English Channel both ways (1961)
14. Irene van der Laan of the Netherlands, former English Channel double-crossing record holder and long-time professional marathon swimmer
15. Lynn Blouin of Canada, race director of the Traversée internationale du Lac Memphrémagag and Vice President of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame.
16. Richard Broer of the Netherlands, creator of Netherlands Open Water
17. David Clark of California, a swimmer of, and coach, escort and observer for swimmers of the Catalina Channel and English Channel
18. Bob Duenkel of Florida, the Curator and Assistant CEO of the ISHOF
19. Silvia Dalotto of Argentina, a certified FINA Open Water official, advocate of South American open water swimmers and former top professional marathon swimmer
20. James Doty of Massachusetts, a former professional marathon swimmer and founder of the New England Marathon Swimming Association
21. Maurice Ferguson of the U.K., former president of the British Long Distance Swimming Association
22. Dr. Marcella MacDonald of Connecticut, successfully completed 6 English Channel crossing including a double-crossing
23. Dr. Osama Ahmed Momtaz of Egypt, recipient of the National Award of Excellency in Sport from the Egyptian Government and Director of the Egyptian Swimming Federation
24. Christopher Guesdon of Australia, open water swimming administrator, coach, athlete, promoter and FINA administrator
25. Dee Llewellyn of Great Britain, British Long Distance Swimming Association administrator
26. Pavel Kuznetsov of Russia, English Channel swimmer, coach and open water swimming administrator
27. Neville Smith of South Africa, South African open water swimming coach, promoter, administrator and commentator
28. Jay Thomas of Florida, FINA and USA Swimming open water swimming official and administrator
29. Peter Van Vooren of Belgium, Chairman of the Channel Swimming Assocation
The International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame not only attempts to recognize the efforts of the most accomplished swimmers who participate in competitive events, but also recognizes the efforts of solo swims, where the swimmer battles the elements and unchartered waters.
Its objectives are as follows:
1. to nominate and select outstanding marathon swimmers and officials who make the sport possible
2. to establish and maintain a biography on the swimmers selected as International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame honorees
3. to accept nominations and award The Irving Davids/Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award established in 1970 by the New England Marathon Swimming Association on behalf of the ISHOF which honors the contribution of individuals who make major contributions to marathon swimming
4. to nominate, select and award a International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Certificate of Merit to swimmers and organizations who make major contributions to marathon swimming
5. to accept official records for the ISHOF Henning Library and memorabilia for the ISHOF Museum
6. to serve as resource and provide expertise to the ISHOF committees on matters related to open water swimming and marathon swimming
7. to record marathon swims that are observed, but are not conducted under the jurisdiction of an official or sanctioning body. The role is to record, for historical purposes, the conditions and methods used by and reported by the swimmer.
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