Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

There is a long history of open water swimming in the New York Finger Lakes.

But last year Bridgette Hobart brought it to the attention of contemporary swimmers and energized the local community when she completed the Nazareth College Finger Lakes Challenge (or The 5 Majors & The 4 Minors Swimming for a Cause).

Her 9-stage 156-mile solo swim saw her swim across the following lakes:

Stage 1 – Canandaigua 15.5 miles in 7 hours 38 minutes on July 11th
Stage 2 – Keuka 19.88 miles in 9 hours 7 minutes on July 18th
Stage 3 – Skaneateles 16.03 miles in 7 hours 27 minutes on July 26
Stage 4 – Cayuga 37.9 miles in 20 hours 33 minutes on August 7th-9th
Stage 5 – Seneca 37.9 miles in 24 hours 31 minutes on August 28th-30th
Stage 6 – Honeoye 4.5 miles in 2 hours 2 minutes on September 18th
Stage 7 – Conesus at 8.08 miles in 3 hours 47 minutes on September 19th
Stage 8 – Otisco at 6.21 miles in 2 hours 56 minutes on September 26th

Stage 9 – Owasco at 11.1 miles in 5 hours 57 minutes on September 27th

This summer, she is organizing a follow-up swim for marathon swimmers: the NY Finger Lakes Sampler – 10k Madness. The 10k Madness is a 4-part 10 km marathon swim in the New York Finger Lakes of Canandaigua (on July 18th), Keuka (on July 19th), Seneca (on July 20th), and Cayuga (on July 21).

“We’ll start around 9 am each morning to leave the afternoons free to enjoy touring in the lovely Finger Lakes region,” says Hobart. “The swim is another charity event on behalf of Nazareth College.”

For more information, visit here at New York Finger Lakes Open Water Swimming.

Copyright © 2016 by World Open Water Swimming Association