Philip Rush (62, New Zealand, MSF bio here, @phil_rush_swimming) has legitimately be called a man of the sea. Not only has he guided several dozens of swimmers across his home waters of the Cook Strait since 1990, coached athletes at international championships and around the world and the Oceans Seven [shown above with Caitlin O’Reilly, but also completed some of the toughest marathon swims in history.

• In 1985, he battled Claudio Plit for over 18 hours in a two-way 64 km crossing of lac St-Jean.
• In 1986, Plit and Rush renewed their battle over 17 hours 45 minutes when Plit beat Rush by 36 seconds over the 64 km cold-water course.
• He still holds records from the 1980s across the Cook Strait (two-way crossing in 16 hours 16 minutes), English Channel (three-way crossing in 28 hours 21 minutes), and Lake Taupo in 23 hours 5 minutes.

Ned Denison announced the International Swimming Hall of Fame awarded Rush its 2027 recipient of the Poseidon Award. The Poseidon Award is an annual award given by the International Swimming Hall of Fame to recognize those individuals who have gone beyond the call of duty and elevated the world of marathon swimming in a unique and lasting manner. The Poseidon Award recognizes high level achievement from personal effort or initiative in a field of endeavor that contributes to the performance of marathon swimmers or to the development and status of marathon swimming to the world.

Poseidon Award Recipients

• 2013: Organising Committee of the 2013 Global Open Water Swimming Conference including Oswald Schmidt, Paschal Horgan, Captain Tom McCarthy, Ciaran O’Connor, Finbarr Hedderman, and Ned Denison, Ireland.
• 2016: Chloë McCardel, Australia
• 2017: Steven Munatones, USA
• 2018: Chris Guesdon, Australia
• 2019: Michael Read, Great Britain
• 2020: Petar Stoychev, Bulgaria
• 2021: Sarah Thomas, USA
• 2022: Shelley Taylor-Smith, Australia
• 2023: Kevin Murphy, Great Britain
• 2024: Penny Lee Dean, Ed.D., USA
• 2025: Nora Toledano Cadena, Mexico
• 2026: Paul Asmuth, USA
• 2027: Philip Rush, New Zealand

Steven Munatones said, “I have known Phil since 1984 along with his coach Tony. No matter how far or how cold the water was, Phil always finished – with both a grimace and a smile. The grimace was his only hint that his two-way and three-way crossings were tough, but his post-swim smile was genuine and warm. He endured, always plugging away quickly and steadily. And then he would thank everyone around him, including his competitors. He transitioned his relentless training and thousands of kilometers swum in every condition to guiding others, including coordinating and escorting over 100 successful Cook Strait crossings and 40 Lake Taupo swims.

Denison continued to explain his role in the sport, “In 2008, Phil was selected as the Head Open Water Manager for Swimming New Zealand to develop the Youth Open Water Swimmers Developmental program. He was also named Head Coach of its National Open Water Team. In 2009, under his guidance, Alana Jury achieved a 13th-place finish overall in the 10 km FINA World Championships in Rome, Italy. Five years later, in 2014, New Zealand had its largest Open Water Team at the 2013 Barcelona World Championships, with 6 swimmers. Kiwi Cara Baker finished in 6th place overall in the Women’s 5 km race. Philip remains as a National Selector for both pool and open water events for Swimming New Zealand.”

Photo of Philip Rush by famed photojournalist Nigel Marple

Rush shared his wisdom and his experiences in a fascinating podcast below:

@ 2026 Daily News of Open Water Swimming

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