Ernie Leskovitz, originally from Florida who moved to Oahu later in life, made a name for himself in both in the pool and ocean races from the Caribbean to Hawaii passed away on January 28th due to a stroke.
His prowess in the ocean was renowned. In 2005, he was inducted in the Hawai’i Swimming Hall of Fame while he was in the middle of his run of 23 Waikiki Roughwater Swims on Oahu between 1991 and 2014, finishing first in his age group 20 times, second in his age group 1 time, and third in his age group 2 times.
In addition to his fastest times in the United States in the 100-yard and 100-meter butterfly events, 100m freestyle, and 400m individual medley in the pool, he won his age group winner in the 4-race North Shore Swim Series on Oahu, and competed in St. Croix, the Miami Mile, the Delray Ocean Mile, the ISHOF Hall of Fame ocean swim, the Boca Raton swim, the Hollywood open water swim in Florida, and the Maui Channel Swim and 7 km Double Roughwater in the Hawaiian Islands.
Most Podium (Top 3) Age Group Finishes by Men in Waikiki Roughwater Swim History
- 30 times by Rick Heltzel (15x 1st + 11x 2nd + 4x 3rd, but his 2 overall Top 3 finishes are not included
- 23 times by Ernie Leskovitz (20x 1st + 1x 2nd + 2x 3rd)
- 21 times by Mo Mathews (14x 1st + 6x 2nd + 1x 3rd)
- 19 times by Alex Kostich (16x 1st + 2x 2nd + 1x 3rd), but his 9 overall Top 3 finishes are not included
- 17 times by Fred Trask (8x 1st + 5x 2nd + 4x 3rd)
- 14 times by Jim Welch (8x 1st + 6x 2nd)
Most Finishes All-Time in Waikiki Roughwater Swim History
- 42 finishes by 79-year-old Betty Ann Barnett between 1972 and 2025
- 41 finishes by 74-year-old Alton Motobu between 1980 and 2025
- 40 finishes by 70-year-old Kenneth Miyaki between 1979 and 2025
- 39 finishes by 62-year-old Joe Lileikis between 1981 and 2025
- 37 finishes by 65-year-old Ray Nakamoto between 1976 and 2014
- 36 finishes by 69-year-old Phyllis Quinn between 1982 and 2025 and 81-year-old Bruce Clark between 1975 and 2023
- 35 finishes by 68-year-old Rick Heltzel between 1984 and 2025 and 62-year-old Todd Presley between 1987 and 2025
- 31 finishes by 69-year-old Jill Buss between 1988 and 2025
- 30 finishes by 65-year-old Diane Corn between 1985 and 2023, 67-year-old Patrick Dixon between 1985 and 2016, 71-year-old Carl Kawauchi between 1981 and 2014, 67-year-old John Cater between 1970 and 1999
- 29 finishes by 81-year-old Uli Klinke between 1976 and 2025, 70-year-old Valisa Saunders between 1981 and 2025, 60-year-old Lynn Jolly between 1992 and 2025, 55-year-old Alex Kostich between 1993 and 2025, 41-year-old Kristin Counter between 1993 and 2025
- 28 finishes by 64-year-old Russell Iwamura between 1983 and 2025 and 65-year-old Thomas Wheeler between 1992 and 2023
- 27 finishes by 80-year-old Jim Budde between 1971 and 2025, 69-year-old Tim Johns between 1992 and 2025, 64-year-old Laurie Foster between 1980 and 2019
- 26 finishes by 68-year-old Jim Anderson between 1971 and 2002
- 25 finishes by 69-year-old Roger Komori between 1996 and 2025
- 24 finishes by 71-year-old Bob Roper between 1974 and 2010, 57-year-old Gary Morita between 1982 and 2006, 61-year-old Solomon Loo between 1975 and 1998
- 23 finishes by 77-year-old Ernie Leskovitz between 1991 and 2014, 72-year-old Diane Stowell between 1981 and 2006
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