3.8k swim - that's nothing!

The New York Times
June 14, 2007

Crawling Around Manhattan, One Arm at a Time

By KATE TORGOVNICK

The visibility in some of the waterways surrounding Manhattan is so poor that a swimmer can barely see his own hands.

The water is cold, the currents are powerful and debris can include plastic bags and dead fish.

Despite those conditions, demand far outstrips the number of spots available in the annual Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, which on Saturday morning will send freestyle swimmers on a 28.5-mile course around the island.

So many swimmers want to participate, in fact, that the race’s organizers added three more events to the calendar.

When the marathon swim began in 1982 (a revival of an event popular in the 1920s), it had only 12 swimmers. Nearly 90 are registered this year, and they range in age from 18 to 76. Many live in the New York area, but others arrive from throughout the country and the world — including participants from Italy, Guatemala, Australia and Japan.

“It’s like applying to college,” said Morty Berger, the founder of the Manhattan Island Foundation, which organizes the annual race. Manhattan Island Marathon Swim hopefuls must complete an online application, submit an essay about why they want to be part of the race and pay a fee of $US1,285.

Because the race can last more than nine hours, contenders must also complete a qualifying swim to show they have the stamina. Still, Berger said, “We’ll never be able to satisfy the demand.”

When registration began Dec. 1, the slots filled in 1 hour 40 minutes.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/14/sports/othersports/14swim.html?ref=sports