Susan McKay (46, Canada, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here, IISA bio here) battled both Corey Murphey (34, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio) and Jorge Iván Agudelo Vargas (33, Columbia) throughout this year’s SCAR Swim Challenge, the 4-day stage swim in Arizona. The race is never easy – neither for the fastest nor the slowest of the field – but there is always additional stress when you are racing others over the 4-day competition.

While Murphey took home the SCAR Buckle, McKay – 12 years her senior – was only 14 minutes behind after more than 15 hours of swimming.

She talked about her experience at SCAR below:

Daily News of Open Water Swimming: You have done a combination of solo crossings (Catalina Channel*, English Channel, Massachusetts Bay) and marathon races (20 Bridges, Swim for the Potomac, Swim Around Charleston, Kingdom Swim), what prompted you to enter SCAR, your first stage swim?

Susan McKay: Firstly, countless people have told me SCAR was one of the best events they’d ever done. Fantastic people, supportive vibe, challenging swims, and beautiful scenery. What’s not to love?! And I found that to be true; Kent Nicholas has really created something extraordinary here. It was a truly inspirational week and I reconnected with friends from afar and expanded my community even more. There’s too many to name properly, but the volunteers were all amazing, and it was an honor to swim and spend time with Maggie, Corey, Ildy, Juliet, Ryan, Bre, Dave, Mandy and her delightful family, Jorge, Stefan…and really the list goes on. Also, getting to spend the week with my sister Kathy, my kayaker, was a real gift because we live on opposite coasts of Canada and don’t see each other much.

Secondly, I really loved the idea of a multi-day challenge. I know from my training that I often get stronger on consecutive long swims so I thought it would be fun to see just what I could do. Also, I generally prefer salt water events so I wanted to see how I’d fare in fresh water over multiple days. 

* In 2022, McKay competed a 32.3 km crossing of the Catalina Channel in 8 hours 9 minutes to become the fastest Canadian swimmer, male or female.

Daily News of Open Water Swimming: You live in Ottawa, Canada.  Where do you train / live?  

Susan McKay: We are fortunate to live near multiple clean bodies of water where I can train in. I primarily swim in the Ottawa River at Britannia Bay and Meech Lake in Quebec. Meech has very few boats and I can leave my feeds on the beach and come and go for long swims. It’s ideal.

Daily News of Open Water Swimming: How much yardage do you do on a weekly basis?  

Susan McKay: It really varies on the event I am training for. I swim year round, but I take significant breaks between big swims. I only train hard for 3-4 months maximum, otherwise I get burnt out physically and mentally. For SCAR, I trained in earnest for 4 months on a periodized schedule, including a 4-day SCAR simulation every 4 weeks. My base weekly mileage was 20 km, and I peaked at 50 km before taper. 

Daily News of Open Water Swimming: Who do you train with?  What kind of workouts do you do?  Do you do any dryland work?  

Susan McKay: I train with two Masters teams in Ottawa, Technosport and Nepean. I have the best group of long swim buds – Sarah, Louise, Stephen, Aimee and Filippo – who keep me accountable and laughing in the dead of winter. Virtually, I’m in a few group chats – my girls from DC and Cork Distance Week, and a multi-national “swim team” – that have also been instrumental to my success. We support each other in swimming and in life, trade workouts and keep each other motivated.  I also turn to close friends and mentors for training advice as well, such as Jim Loreto, Nadine Bennett, and Sean Nuttall.  Finally, Charlotte Brynn has been helping me with my stroke this season and “gut checked” my SCAR plan. She’s an awesome sounding board and we have a similar training mindset so it’s really fun to swim together when we get the chance. I did her Vermonster fundraising weekend (20 km + 10 km) as part of my last big push pre-SCAR. 

I am a former distance pool swimmer (200m butterfly, 1500m freestyle) so I love to work hard. My masters workouts are short, good quality and high intensity. On long swims, I focus on pacing and “gear changes” so it’s a mix of long intervals and speed work. 

The biggest change I made this year was increasing my strength training. I started out at 5 times per week and then dropped it to 3 times per week as my mileage increased to ensure I could recover. It made a HUGE difference. I felt so much stronger at SCAR and the fresh water didn’t hurt as much as it normally does. 

Daily News of Open Water Swimming: SCAR is in April.  Did you do any open water training in Canada before you visited Arizona for SCAR? 

Susan McKay: Not in Canada…two weeks before SCAR the river was still frozen. I was dipping, but not swimming. However, in March, I went to Naples, Florida for a week to train which was great. My friend Heather Roka joined me for a few days, and I trained with the Southwest Florida group a couple times. Saguaro felt a bit awkward given the lack of open water training, but the rest of the days were good. 

Daily News of Open Water Swimming: Where and how do you get in all this training with your work and family? 

Susan McKay: I’m the head of internal audit for Save the Children US and I’m married, with two cats. My husband is very supportive; in fact, he was crew lead for my Triple Crown swims and Boston Lighthouse Swimx2. He knows that swimming keeps me happy, focused and balanced. We do have to negotiate our travel though…it doesn’t always include a swim, although I usually try. For example, last year I snuck a Robben Island swim into a trip to South Africa. Probably the hardest thing to balance is work, but I’m fortunate that I am remote so I can flex my hours early and late, and my boss and colleagues are also very supportive of my swimming. 

Daily News of Open Water Swimming: Who was your escort kayaker?  What were some of their impressions of the event?  

Susan McKay: My sister, Kathy McKay. She’s an endurance athlete in her own right (running and cycling) so she really gets it and we work well together. She maps the swims to figure out a good line, she knows my stroke, and I trust her completely. You’d never know Saguaro was her second time supporting me; she’s an absolute natural. She even trained in an open kayak (like the rentals) before SCAR to get ready.

She was impressed by the level of detail and care that the organizers put into the event. They always ensured the swimmers, paddlers, volunteers and spectators were safe and where they needed to be. The pre-event crew meeting, dinner with swag bags, advice on where to stay and where to eat, the kayaker swim, and the cold drinks on the finish boats are just a few of the “extras” that made the event special. 

She appreciated the unique challenges each day brought – air and water temperature, sun, wind, navigation, fueling, logistics and other watercraft. In an event this long, there are a lot of ups and downs and she was inspired to see people work through those and how everyone was friendly and supportive of one another. 

Doing the event together and paddling alongside me was also special for her. It took a lot of strength and composure from both of us and we definitely shared a few tears – mostly happy – during the week.

Her favorite moment was the calm and peacefulness on Roosevelt after four hard, chaotic days. When the sun set and the sky went dark, the wind and waves died off and all you could see was a glowing train of swimmers and kayaks silently making their way to the finish under the stars. 

Daily News of Open Water Swimming: Was Apache Lake tough – or what lake was the toughest (and which one was the easiest)?  

Susan McKay: I felt my best on Apache Lake…that longer distance is my jam. Also I think I took in more of the scenery, which made me really happy. I struggled a bit with Canyon Lake. I think I was a bit tired from the heat and Saguaro Lake and starting to get cumulatively hungry (i.e., my normal feeds weren’t cutting it), but thankfully we corrected that on Apache. I adore night swimming so Roosevelt was gorgeous, but challenging due to the wind and it being Day 4. I was laughing with a few swimmers after and said, “Everyone talks about the stars but no one ever tells you that Roosevelt is hard!” 

Daily News of Open Water Swimming: Did you ever think about stopping during SCAR?  Were you ever worried about the cold or distance?  

Susan McKay: I wasn’t worried about the cold or distance, but I did have a rough moment in the first 500 meters of Roosevelt Lake. We started out fast, but I couldn’t catch my breath and it freaked me out. I think I was tired and my nutrition wasn’t quite right. I flipped over to do backstroke. When that didn’t work, I stopped, did a little breaststroke, and then started swimming again. It took about 3 km for me to settle. My sister was amazing throughout; she just smiled, told me to relax, and that everything would be OK. In the end, it was a pretty decent swim and I felt great finishing. That one was for, and because of, her. 

Daily News of Open Water Swimming: What swims are next on your schedule?

Susan McKay: I have the North Channel lined up for July 2026. I don’t have any other formal swims planned this year, although I’m hoping to do some qualifiers because I’m a bit nervous about the cold. Otherwise, I’m really excited to crew for a few friends this summer. My friend Anita is doing the In Search of Memphre in Vermont in June, and my training mate Sarah is planning a big swim in the Ottawa River in August.

2025 SCAR Results – Cumulative Time Over All Four Crossings

1. Corey Murphey (34, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio) 15:04:48.5
2. Susan McKay (46, Canada, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here, IISA bio here) 15:18:47.5
3. Jorge Iván Agudelo Vargas (33, Columbia) 15:36:24.8
4. Haley Chasin (27, USA, @chasin1997) 16:18:27.9
5. Ryan Stille (52, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 17:03:44.1
6. Maggie Regan (33, USA) 17:31:09.4
7. Amanda Davies (44, Australia) 17:42:22.0
8. Karen Nixon (58, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 18:05:37.3
9. Amy Ennion (32, UK, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 20:19:40.3
10. Dave Berry (50, Ireland, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 20:20:34.7
11. Tara Grout (53, Australia, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 20:27:21.3
12. Peter Hayden (67, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 20:31:48.7
13. Jennifer Murphy (49, USA) 20:33:15.5
14. Isaac Vernon (24, USA, @themakomethod) 20:42:16.7
15. Alain Simac (43, France, @alainsimac, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here, IISA bio here) 21:16:56.1
16. Sara Palacios (39, Ecuador, @sarademar7mares, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here, IISA bio here) 21:42:54.5
17. Amy Mazur (62, USA, @amygmazur) 22:55:59.4
18. Christina MacDougall (46, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 23:11:20.7
19. Kristiana Fox (46, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 23:26:24.6
20. Sara Wolf (56, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) 25:23:24.2
21. Ildiko Szekely (45, Hungary, @swimplifly) -1 race
22. Stefan Reinke (66, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) -1 race
23. Erika Beauchamp (51, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) -1 race
24. Felicia A Bianchi (62, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) -1 race
25. Madison Carioty (29, USA) -1 race
26. Lauren Byron (49, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) -1 race
27. Mike Gregory (61, Australia, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) -1 race
28. Brianna Jackson (41, Arizona) -1 race
29. Natalie Merrow (44, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) -1 race
30. Juliet Kadlecek (55, USA, @julietkad, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here, IISA bio here) -2 races
31. Chaz Moody (40, USA) -2 races
32. Jamie Tout (71, USA, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) -2 races
33. Julie Boxsell (54, Australia, Marathon Swimmers Federation bio here) -2 races
34. Jason Heavens (61, Canada) -2 races
35. Bradley Lundblad (USA) -3 races
36. Emily Evans (48, USA) -3 races
37. Mark Spratt (69, USA) -3 races
38. Rob Forst (54, USA) -3 races
39. Amy Frick (58, USA) -3 races
40. Quinn Evangelakos (27, USA) -3 races
41. Heather Fairbanks (56, USA) -3 races
42. Kerianne Brownlie (31, USA) -3 races
43. Marin Jackson (38, USA) -3 races
44. Dana Price (51, USA) -3 races
45. Deborah Gardner (65, USA) -3 races
46. Claire Russell (62, USA) -3 races
47. Andy Rieger (52, USA) -3 races
48. Golda Marcus (42, El Salvador) -3 races
49. Matthew Szachta (45, USA) -3 races

For more information, visit www.scarswim.com.

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