When Big Goggles, Big Crowds, Big Smiles, Big Personalities, Big Celebrities Were Part of Professional Marathon Swimming

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The personable professional marathon swimmers of the previous generations were occasionally in the company of celebrities from Johnny Weissmuller, the Olympic gold medalist turned Tarzan, to world heavyweight boxing champion Rocky Marciano.

They wore big goggles and were charismatic. They gleaned big smiles in front of big crowds in the 1950’s, 1960’s, and 1970’s, especially Egyptian Abdellatief Abou Heif.

For much of this era, the athletes competed on the World Professional Marathon Swimming Federation (WPMSF) circuit. The WPMSF was founded in 1963 to promote the sport and its athletes. It was later succeeded by the International Marathon Swimming Association in the late 1980’s.