Add Robin Lajoie is the list of swimmers who have done a marathon swim butterfly (see below).
But Lajoie is a triathlete and endurance runner-turned butterflying open water swimmer from Hamilton in Ontario, Canada. He swam the 10 km swim at the Welland, Ontario event in 2012 in 4 hours 18 minutes and bettered his time in 2013 with 4 hours 35 second butterfly marathon.
1. Julie Bradshaw: 3.01 mph (4.85 kph) in 2011 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, 28.5 miles (45.8 km) in 9:28
2. Héctor Ramírez Ballesteros: 2.67 mph (4.29 kph) at the 2012 Ria de Navia, 3.11 miles (5 km) in 1:10
3. Dan Projansky: 2.45 mph (3.95 kph) at the 2013 Extreme North Dakota Watersports Endurance Test, 27 miles (43 km) in 14:30
4. Sylvain Estadieu: 2.31 mph (3.72 kph) at the 2013 Lee Swim, 1.24 miles (2 km) in 0:32:28
5. Gianni Golini: 2.30 mph (3.71 kph) in Strait of Messina in 1977, 1.99 miles (3.2 km) in 51:49
6. Sylvain Estadieu: 1.95 mph (3.13 kph) in Baltic Sea in 2010, 3.73 miles (6 km) in 1:55
7. Sylvain Estadieu: 1.94 mph (3.12 kph) in 2012 Lake Delsjön in Gothenburg (German lake), 3.11 miles (5 km) in 1:36
8. Gianni Golini: 1.93 mph (3.11 kph) in Strait of Messina – 2XM in 1977, 4.50 miles (6.5 km) in 2:23:56
9. Dan Projansky: 1.86 mph (3.00 kph) in 2012 Extreme North Dakota Watersports Endurance Test, 27 miles (43 km) in 14:30
10. Sylvain Estadieu: 1.86 mph (2.99 kph) in Sandycove Island in 2013, 13.92 miles (22.4 km) in 7:30
11. Julie Bradshaw: 1.85 mph (2.97 kph) in Lough Erne in 2006, 10.50 miles (16.89 km) in 5:41
12. Héctor Ramírez Ballesteros: 1.83 mph (2.94 kph) in Ruidera in 2012, 5.78 miles (9.3 km) in 3:01
13. Graham Barratt: 1.82 mph (2.93 kph) in Lake Bala in 1992, 3.25 miles (5.23 km) in 1:47
14. Francesca Mazari: 1.73 mph (2.79 kph) in the 1992 Strait of Messina – 2XF, 4.50 miles (6.5 km) in 2:36:34
15. Héctor Ramírez Ballesteros: 1.72 mph (2.77 kph) in Iruelas Valley in 2012, 5.59 miles (9 km) in 3:15
16. Julie Bradshaw: 1.72 mph (2.76 kph) in Lake Windermere in 1991, 10.50 miles (16.9 km) in 6:07.3
17. Julie Bradshaw: 1.68 mph (2.71 kph) in Coniston in 1995, 5.25 miles (8.44 km) in 3:07
18. Sylvain Estadieu: 1.67 mph (2.69 kph) in lake Delsjön in 2013, 13.36 miles (21.5 km) in 8:00
19. Vicki Keith: 1.67 mph (2.68 kph) in Sydney Harbour, 22.50 miles (36.21 km) in 13:30
20. Julie Bradshaw: 1.62 mph (2.60 kph) in Ullswater in 1996, 7.25 miles (11.66 km) in 4:29
21. Héctor Ramírez Ballesteros: 1.61 mph (2.59 kph) in the 2012 International Crossing 10,000 Cullera, 6.21 miles (10 km) in 3:52
22. Kathryn Mason: 1.59 mph (2.56 kph) at the 2012 Irish Long Distance Championship in Lough Erne, Ireland, 15.53 miles (25 km) in 9:45
23. Julie Bradshaw: 1.48 mph (2.37 kph) across the English Channel in 2002, 21 miles (33.7 km) in 14:18
24. Vicki Keith: 1.43 mph (2.30 kph) in Lake Winnipeg, 18.57 miles (28.9 km) in 13:00
25. Vicki Keith: 1.42 mph (2.29 kph) across the Strait of Juan de Fuca, 19.88 miles (32 km) in 14:00
26. Brian Suddeth: 1.41 mph (2.26 kph) in the 2011 Great Chesapeake Bay Swim, 1 mile (1.60 km) in 42:46
27. Brian Suddeth: 1.40 mph (2.25 kph) in 2011 Great Chesapeake Bay Swim, 1 mile (1.60 km) in 43:00
28. Vicki Keith: 1.37 mph (2.21 kph) across the Catalina Channel in 1989, 20.2 miles (32.5 km) in 14:43.3
29. Brenton Williams: 1.35 mph (2.17 kph) in the 2012 Deep Blue Invitational Swim, 4.97 miles (8 km) in 3:41
30. Sylvain Estadieu: 1.29 mph (2.08 kph) across Lake Vidöstern in 2012, 8.39 miles (13.5 km) in 6:30
31. Julie Bradshaw: 1.26 mph (2.03 kph) swam a Coniston 2-Way in 2000, 11 miles (17.70 km) in 8:42
32. Sylvain Estadieu: 1.26 mph (2.03 kph) across the English Channel in 2013, 21 miles (33.7 km) in 16:41
33. Philip Martin: 1.25 mph (2.02 kph) in a 2001 Rottnest Channel, 12.24 miles (19.7 km) in 9:45.1
34. Julie Bradshaw: 1.22 mph (1.96 kph) across Lake Bala in 2006, 6.50 miles (10.46 km) in 5:02
35. Vicki Keith: 1.03 mph (1.66 kph) across Lake Ontario, 32 miles (51.5 km) in 31:00
36. Vicki Keith: 0.96 mph (1.54 kph) across the English Channel, 21 miles (33.7 km) in 23:33
37. Vicki Keith: 0.78 mph (1.26 kph) across Lake Ontario, 49.83 miles (80.2 km) in 63:40
The average speed for all these butterflyers is 1.64 mph (2.64 kph). Impressive, very very impressive.
Data courtesy of Brian Suddeth.
Copyright © 2013 by World Open Water Swimming Association
Hello gentlemen. I’m Robin LaJoie,,. I don’t see my accomplishments in Open water butterfly published on this account. They were on this account before. But now I don’t see them. It was nice to see my name with all of the greats.. could you please return my name and stats. thank you
This article was written in 2013. This is what I have for your butterfly exploits after this article was written and published:
– On 28 August 2024, he swam 20 km butterfly in Lake Niapenco at the Binbrook Conservation Area in 9 hours 57 minutes.
– On 16 August 2024, he started swimming butterfly at Burlington Beach on Lake Ontario in Burlington, Ontario, Canada at 6:42 am, swam 37 laps of 440 meters each for a total of 16.28 km, and completed the 10 hour 48 minute swim at 5:30 pm at the age of 69. Hydro poles that stood 220 meters apart were used to mark the start and end of each lap.
– On 5 Septmber 2023, he completed a 14 km solo butterfly marathon swim at the Valens conservation area in 6 hours 10 minutes at the age of 68.
– In August 2023, he completed a 13.8 km solo butterfly marathon swim on the Welland Recreational Canal at the 2023 Canaqua Sports’ Midsummer Classic at the age of 68.
– In 2022, He swam the 10 km Welland Canal Open Water Swim butterfly in Welland, Ontario near Niagara Fall in 4 hours 56 minutes 30 seconds at the Welland International Flatwater Centre at the age of 67.
– In 2012, he swam the 10 km marathon swim at the World Junior Open Water Swimming Championships event (did you compete swimming butterfly or freestyle in this event?).
– In 2012, he completed the 10 km Welland Canal Open Water Swim butterfly in Welland, Ontario near Niagara Falls at the age of 57 in 4 hours 18 minutes.
– In 2014, he did the 10 km Welland Canal Open Water Swim butterfly in Welland, Ontario near Niagara Falls at the age of 59 in 4 hours 0 minutes 35 seconds.
– In 2018, he did the 10 km Welland Canal Open Water Swim butterfly in Welland, Ontario near Niagara Falls at the age of 63 in 4 hours 24 minutes.
– In 2022, he did the 10 km Welland Canal Open Water Swim butterfly in Welland, Ontario near Niagara Falls it the age of 67 in 4 hours 56 minutes, 30 seconds.
– In August 1999, he completed the Esprit Triathlon – Ironman distance in 14 hours 42 minutes (did you swim freestyle or butterfly on the swim leg)?
– In 1999, he completed the 30 km Around the Bay Road Race in 2 hours 35 minutes.
– In 2015, he attempted “Hamilton’s Butterfly For the Birds”, a planned 55 km solo butterfly challenge by Lajoie to swim around Pelee Island in Lake Erie to benefit the Pelee Island’s Bird Sanctuary, an NGO devoted to the study and conservation of wild birds, species at risk, and their habitats. His charity swim was cut short by bad conditions.
I believe it would be improper for me to add your swims that were accomplished after 2013 to this article that was published in December 2013.