<p>This 61-year old marathon swimmer attempted a swim between Cuba and the Florida Keys last week… 103 miles as the crow flies. She made it almost halfway in 29 hours and 42 minutes before having to abort her attempt. I followed her adventure on Twitter several times throughout the day, which I don’t know why, because I’m not a swimmer AT ALL!</p>
<p>Tonight I found an entry on a blog called “The Daily News of Open Water Swimming” that was totally engrossing (and gross at times) about her attempt. Since links to blogs are not allowed on CC, you’ll have to google it.</p>
<p>Here’s a little teaser:</p>
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<p>Stories like this stay with me for the rest of my life, inspiring me to stay active. But on the other hand, I have to wonder how someone can push through so much pain and keep going until they’ve almost killed themselves, and I think I’m kind of glad I don’t have the perseverance to push myself that hard. I am both amazed and dumbfounded by her accomplishments.</p>
<p>I did, but just on the Yahoo News (I do not do Twitter). :)</p>
<p>Teri, I’m not a swimmer either, but just like you I’m fascinated with open water/ultraswimming. I think you will enjoy reading Swimming to Antarctica by Lynne Cox, another great open water swimmer.</p>
<p>Armchair swimmers… LOL, ILove LA. I just pictured myself floating across the Engish Channel in a Stressles. Thanks for the book recommendation.</p>
<p>I can stay afloat, but I can’t do a stroke of butterfly and absolutely hate to get my face in the water (which means no crawlstroke for me, either), so I have huge respect for people who can swim well or really far (or both :)).</p>
<p>I’ve been a swimmer since a very young age. Having grown up on a lake, swimming lessons were mandatory in our community. However, I can’t imagine doing a long distance, open water swim. I admire those who do. Living in Toronto, these happen regularly on Lake Ontario, although the distance is shorter than Nyad’s route. Last week, a 17 year old swam the 52 km across the lake to raise money for the childrens’ hospital here, where her younger sister had recently had heart surgery. This week it was a single mom raising money for her community swim club. The cold water temps would discourage me from ever even venturing into Lake Ontario and to spend 15-20 hours in that water, that is often very rough, no thank you! Was Nyad’s swim a fundraiser?</p>
<p>One of my friends is friends with Diana and I followed through her. It simply boggles my mind to do something like that.
Another friend of mine has a business (and passion) as a kayak companion to long distance swimmers. She supports the ultra swims (Catalina, English Channel etc) and is the one to alert the boat if the swimmer needs aid. I can’t imagine that, either.</p>
<p>I first read about her many years ago, believe I was just a teenager and found her really riveting. Love her name – Nyad. Doesn’t it sound like a sea goddess?</p>
<p>DH is something of a crazy swimmer. Whenever we go to a beach he just wanders out into the surf then eases into the water and heads straight out until he completely disappears. Hours go by, I grow frantic, have been known to go to the authorities . . . and then eventually he rises back out of the sea like no big deal.</p>
<p>Close. Naiads were nymphs (minor Greek goddesses) that presided over brooks, streams, and fountains, as opposed to major rivers or oceans.</p>
<p>As for Diana Nyad, I have to admire her for what she attempted at age 61, but I was always sort of irritated by her back in her prime. It seemed to me she was a tireless self promoter who got way more publicity than she deserved based on her actual achievments. There were other, better, long distance swimmers around who didn’t get nearly as much attention. Nyad mostly failed in her big swimming attempts, for example last time I checked she had failed in every one of her tries at swimming the English Channel - something that several swimmers complete every year. But somehow DN got all the media attention.</p>
<p>That said, I think she developed into a fine sports reporter after her retirement from swimming. Whenever I heard her on TV or the radio I thought she did fine.</p>
<p>I am awestruck!
I am not a swimmer at all. Hate it. But I think it intrigues me because I listen to Diana Nyad on NPR, am nearly her age, and keep imagining that I still have the stamina I had in years past.
Teri, thanks for the link.</p>
<p>I know i should be in awe of her, as she can do what so many of us could not even contemplate even at a younger age (and certainly me). Okay I guess I am in awe that she can do this, but for some reason I find the whole thing annoying. </p>
<p>I guess I don’t really see the point. But then I’ve never understood the point of a lot of wacky recording breaking attempts either. This seems less wacky as swimming is revered more than say eating hotdogs, or juggling ping pong balls, or ingesting nails. But the underlying point seems about the same. </p>
<p>So many man hours, investment, resources focused on her personal (and what seems like a kinda narcissistic goal), and for what? Now if they develop some cool technology as a result to help her with this swim, or understand sharks or jellyfish better, or encourage more people to start swimming, or build a stronger relationship between the US and Cuba…or…well I might feel a bit differently about the whole media hype around it.</p>
<p>starbright, perhaps the point is to be an inspiration to the baby boomer generation. When I’m working out and whining and moaning about it, thinking my body can’t do this, I think of people like her (and also, humorously, people from The Biggest Loser) and say, if they can do it, I can do it. There aren’t a lot of publicly available role models out there for people who want to remain active well into their senior years. </p>
<p>To me, a story like this underscores the power of motivation and the possibilities of human body’s capabilities.</p>
<p>^ This is a good idea. I guess to me she’s so extreme I can’t relate to her so it doesn’t inspire me (she and I could not possibly be more different…she’s always been an athlete, a high achiever in swimming etc.!). </p>
<p>I would get much more inspiration just watching ordinary 60 or 70 years old jogging, cycling, or doing laps in the nearby pool (which I see quite a lot of nowadays!). Now those are folks I want to aspire to be like at their age (it seems actually possibly doable).</p>
<p>Well, I certainly never think that I could accomplish anything near what she can accomplish, but it doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t always try harder than I think I can. I tend to relegate my own attempts at fitness as the best I can do, when I’ve been proven over and over that I can do more (much of this has come from working with a personal trainer who is very respectful of my age and limitations, but has been an awesome cheerleader for me and pushed me beyond what I ever thought I could do). Fitness is always about new ways of challenging yourself. If you do the same thing over and over again, your body adapts and you lose the health benefits you’d have if you didn’t push yourself. While I doubt Diana is doing this because her body has adapted and she needs the physical challenge, she reminds me that we always need to challenge ourselves.</p>
<p>Tend to agree with Starbright - perhaps less annoyed and more “what’s the point”. But this is much much better than all the “balloon-boy” antics that the celebrities and wannabees do all the time just to get airtime.</p>
Thanks for the book recommendation.</p>