Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.
When we think of open water swimming in Mexico, Nora Toledano Cadena is certainly one of the first to come to mind. A 2006 inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, Nora has been a stand-out swimmer, a stellar race organizer, a wonderful spokesperson and a true inspiration to Mexican swimmers of all ages, genders and abilities.
Nora was the first and only Mexican and first Latin American woman and sixth person to complete a double-crossing of the English Channel. She crossed the English Channel six times individually in 1992, 1994, 1997 and 2005, and five times on a relay. She has swam 45K (28 miles) from Akumal to Cozumel in Mexico, 70K (43.4 miles) from Cozumel to Cancun in Mexico, 48K (29.8 miles) around Manhattan Island in New York, USA and won the 3K (1.8 miles) at the 2005 World Masters Games.
When she is not in the water, she has motivated and coached other Mexican swimmers and English Channel swimmers and is the co-author with Antonio Argüelles of A cada brazada el azul interminable (With each stroke, the endless blue), an outstanding book that describes open water swims as a survival in the sea of life.
She also organized the professional FINA Marathon Swimming World Cup in Cancún (Mexico) and was nominated in 1994, 1997 and 2005 to receive the prestigious National Sports Award in Mexico.
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