David Barra of New York Open Water asks a very good question, “With three 20 Bridges record-breaking swims over the last three years from some of the world’s best marathon swimmers – Andreas Waschburger, David Olvera López, and Andy Donaldson – it makes me question if we are getting close to the limit of what is possible on the 45.9 km circumnavigation swim course around Manhattan Island?“

My answer, “Just when we thought humans can do no better, no further, or no faster in the openwater, we will be surprised by a new swimmer and a new record.”

This June, Andreas Waschburger (39, Germany, MSF bio here, IISA bio here, World Aquatics bio here, @andreaswaschburger) set a new 20 Bridges Swim Around Manhattan record in 5 hours 32 minutes. He took 2 minutes and 48 seconds off the record set by David Olvera López (26, Mexico, World Aquatics bio here, @thefreezewiz) in 2025 record which was 5 hours 34 minutes [depicted in the film Limitless Manhattan, shown above]. Andreas did this even while fighting against heavy rain, shifting winds, strong gusts, and finicky currents.

NYOW has been lucky to support an extraordinary run of record-breaking swims in recent years. Prior to David’s record, NYOW supported Andy Donaldson (35, Scotland, MSF bio here, @andy.swimming, shown below) in 2024 when he lowered the mark from 5 hours 44 minutes to 5 hours 41 minutes.

Recent International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Honor Swimmer Rondi Davies, PhD (56, Australia, MSF bio here, @nyopenwater) modeled each of these record swims.

Record Progression Around Manhattan Island

A number of luminaries from the global open water swimming community have set records swimming around Manhattan Island, a majority who have been inducted in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame:

• Robert Dowling (MSF bio here, IMSHOF Honor Swimmer), USA 13 hours 45 minutes in September 1915
• Ida Elionsky (MSF bio here, IMSHOF Honor Swimmer), USA 11 hours 35 minutes in September 2016
• Byron Summers, USA 8 hours 56 minutes in September 1927
• Bill Goll (MSF bio here, IMSHOF Honor Swimmer) USA 8 hours 39 minutes in July 1930
• Bill Sadlo (MSF bio here, IMSHOF Honor Swimmer), USA 8 hours 38 minutes in July 1930
• Sam Shields, USA  8 hours 36 minutes in July 1930
• Diana Nyad (MSF bio here, IMSHOF Honor Swimmer), USA 7 hours 57 minutes in October 1975
• Drury Gallagher (IMSHOF Honor Administrator), USA 7 hours 14 minutes in July 1982
• Paul Asmuth (MSF bio here, IMSHOF and ISHOF Honor Swimmer), USA 6 hours 47 minutes 58 seconds in August 1983
• Drury Gallagher (IMSHOF Honor Administrator), USA 6 hours 42 minutes in September 1983
• Shelley Taylor-Smith (MSF bio here, IMSHOF and ISHOF Honor Swimmer), Australia 6 hours 12 minutes 29 seconds in October 1985
• Shelley Taylor-Smith (MSF bio here, IMSHOF and ISHOF Honor Swimmer), Australia 5 hours 45 minutes 25 seconds in July 1995
• Oliver Wilkinson (MSF bio here), Australia 5 hours 44 minutes 2 seconds in September 2011
• Andy Donaldson (MSF bio here, IMSHOF Honor Swimmer), Scotland 5 hours 41 minutes 48 seconds in September 2024
• David Olvera López, Mexico 5 hours 34 minutes 58 seconds in June 2025
• Andreas Waschburger, Germany in 5 hours 32 minutes 14 seconds in June 2026

So to answer Barra’s question on the women’s side, who might be able to drop the female record of 5 hours 44 minutes set by Dr. Davies in 2011 – which seems like an eon ago in marathon swimming? Here are some likely – and unlikely – candidates, all of which have the necessary speed, stamina, and strength to swim incredibly fast around Manhattan Island:

• Ana Marcela Cunha (34, Brazil, MSF bio here, World Aquatics bio here, @anamarcela92)
• Becca Mann (28, USA, MSF bio here, World Aquatics bio here, @becca__mann)
• Ashley Twichell (37, USA, MSF bio here, World Aquatics bio here, @atwall616)
• Moesha Johnson (28, Australia, MSF bio here, World Aquatics bio here, @swimmer_moesha)
• Airi Ebina (24, Japan, MSF bio here, World Aquatics bio here, @ebina_airi)
• Ginevra Taddeucci (29, Italy, MSF bio here, World Aquatics bio here, @ginevrataddeucci)
• Catherine Breed (32, USA, MSF bio here, @catherine.breed)
• Sharon van Rouwendaal (32, Netherlands, MSF bio here, World Aquatics bio here, @svrouwendaal)

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