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Line Them Up For The 2026 SCAR Swim Challenge

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The entrants of the 2026 SCAR Swim Challenge, the 4-day stage swim in Arizona, is set.

Year in and year out, participation in the 60 km event is always the cumulation of a lot of hard work, coordination, complicated logistics, grittiness, and a finish on a dark shore and private celebration without a party.

Chris Cook (44, Great Britain, MSF bio here, IISA bio here, @openwaterchris) is back after completing SCAR in 2023. He continues to be on a roll, having completed an Ice Mile in January 2025 in 22 minutes 16 seconds and finished 8th in the 1000m freestyle at the IISA 6th World Championship in Italy in 13:40.74 in 1.94°C water and 1.00°C air temperatures. He later completed the 45.9 km 20 Bridges in New York City in September to achieve the Frosted Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming.

Event visionary Kent Nicholas announced the entrants in the 2026 race. Who will win in 2026 and receive the famed SCAR Buckles as the top male and female swimmers? Last year, Corey Murphey (34, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio) and Jorge Iván Agudelo Vargas (33, Columbia) took home the SCAR Buckles, finishing first in 15 hours 4 minutes and 15 hours 36 minutes, respectively. Susan McKay (46, Canada, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here, IISA bio here) finished second, pretty close to Murphey over the cumulative 60 km course in 15 hours 18 minutes.

2025 SCAR Results – Cumulative Time from All Four Crossings

  1. Corey Murphey (34, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio) 15:04:48.5
  2. Susan McKay (46, Canada, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here, IISA bio here) 15:18:47.5
  3. Jorge Iván Agudelo Vargas (33, Columbia) 15:36:24.8
  4. Haley Chasin (27, USA, @chasin1997) 16:18:27.9
  5. Ryan Stille (52, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 17:03:44.1
  6. Maggie Regan (33, USA) 17:31:09.4
  7. Amanda Davies (44, Australia) 17:42:22.0
  8. Karen Nixon (58, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 18:05:37.3
  9. Amy Ennion (32, UK, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 20:19:40.3
  10. Dave Berry (50, Ireland, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 20:20:34.7
  11. Tara Grout (53, Australia, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 20:27:21.3
  12. Peter Hayden (67, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 20:31:48.7
  13. Jennifer Murphy (49, USA) 20:33:15.5
  14. Isaac Vernon (24, USA, @themakomethod) 20:42:16.7
  15. Alain Simac (43, France, @alainsimac, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here, IISA bio here) 21:16:56.1
  16. Sara Palacios (39, Ecuador, @sarademar7mares, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here, IISA bio here) 21:42:54.5
  17. Amy Mazur (62, USA, @amygmazur) 22:55:59.4
  18. Christina MacDougall (46, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 23:11:20.7
  19. Kristiana Fox (46, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 23:26:24.6
  20. Sara Wolf (56, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 25:23:24.2
  21. Ildiko Szekely (45, Hungary, @swimplifly) -1 race
  22. Stefan Reinke (66, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) -1 race
  23. Erika Beauchamp (51, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) -1 race
  24. Felicia A Bianchi (62, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) -1 race
  25. Madison Carioty (29, USA) -1 race
  26. Lauren Byron (49, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) -1 race
  27. Mike Gregory (61, Australia, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) -1 race
  28. Brianna Jackson (41, Arizona) -1 race
  29. Natalie Merrow (44, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) -1 race
  30. Juliet Kadlecek (55, USA, @julietkad, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here, IISA bio here) -2 races
  31. Chaz Moody (40, USA) -2 races
  32. Jamie Tout (71, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) -2 races
  33. Julie Boxsell (54, Australia, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) -2 races
  34. Jason Heavens (61, Canada) -2 races
  35. Bradley Lundblad (USA) -3 races
  36. Emily Evans (48, USA) -3 races
  37. Mark Spratt (69, USA) -3 races
  38. Rob Forst (54, USA) -3 races
  39. Amy Frick (58, USA) -3 races
  40. Quinn Evangelakos (27, USA) -3 races
  41. Heather Fairbanks (56, USA) -3 races
  42. Kerianne Brownlie (31, USA) -3 races
  43. Marin Jackson (38, USA) -3 races
  44. Dana Price (51, USA) -3 races
  45. Deborah Gardner (65, USA) -3 races
  46. Claire Russell (62, USA) -3 races
  47. Andy Rieger (52, USA) -3 races
  48. Golda Marcus (42, El Salvador) -3 races
  49. Matthew Szachta (45, USA) -3 races

2026 SCAR Entrants

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.“

© 2026 Daily News of Open Water Swimming

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

World Open Water Swimming Federation, a human-powered project.

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