History of Open-Water Marathon Swimming

This history covers swimming from the perspective of an active participant in the organization of the Manhattan marathon swim. The emphasis initially was on New York swims but was broaden to include the whole development of open-water swimming events worldwide. Early English and Austria swims prior to Capt. Webb and prior to Lord Bryon are included. The author includes an analysis of the development of the modern swimming stroke: the American Crawl, along with comments regarding swimming strokes forgotten during the Renaissance. Illustrations and photos abound. The reason Alfred Hajos won the first swimming races in the 1896 Olympics and strategies employed by other swimmers. The development of baths, their alternatives, and the role they played in the development of the swimming arts. The public need for swimming education and the response of non-governmental agencies to this need. The story of the first person to jump from the Brooklyn Bridge as well as the story of the first person to jump from the Brooklyn Bridge and live is included. The irrefutable evidence that Annie Taylor was not the first person to go over Niagara Falls and live is presented. Cage swims and cage construction is discussed. The inside scope on the Florida Straits swims from someone who was there in Cuba and on the swims. How Suzy Maroney cheated in her swims is but one of the stories about charlatans, pretenders, and swims gone badly. Every swim is covered with dates, times, and reference sources (over 700 references). The author suggests ways to address "assisted" swims. The first great American swimmer, Captain Boyton, entire career is covered from his days as a lifeguard in New Jersey to a demonstration of a lifesaving devise before Queen Victoria, receptions throughout the European capitols, his Irish activity and torpedo work for foreign governments, and his retirement to Coney Island. Why his invention is still needed today is presented. Secrets of the Manhattan swim are revealed by the author from ten years of trials that yielded up the current Manhattan Island record and how this knowledge could be applied to the English Channel. The author reveals the date when the next Manhattan marathon record attempt will occur. The computer program and a formula to calculate a swimmer's expected finishing time are revealed as well as how this knowledge was applied. The complete history of the Manhattan marathon swim is discussed in detail. Swim injuries are discussed and facts about swimming that are alarming. Above all, the book is packed with swims and swimmers galore, swims you couldn't imagine, swim you've heard about but didn't believe, and swims that have been forgotten and why. The swims that won a Congressional Metal of Honor are covered and a swim that should have. The first Chesapeake Bay swim, the first Boston Light swim, the first Manhattan marathon swim, the first Alcatraz swim, the first Long Island Sound swim, the first Potomac swim, the first swim by an American in the Thames, the first swim across the Baltic Sea, the first swim from Montauk to Watch Hill across Block Island Sound, the first swim to Block Island, the first swim across the Messina Straits, the first swim across the Mersey, the first swim across Gibraltar Straits, the first swim ever recorded in a newspaper. Animal swims: the first recorded shark attack, the dog that set a swimming record down the Hudson River, and a record night swim by an elephant. Swims that you will want to do and who to contact to schedule your next swim include: Key West, Tampa Bay, Bonaire, St. Croix, Boston Light, Other New England Swims, Chesapeake Bay, British Swims, Professional Swims, Gibraltar Straits, Palk Straits, Hawaiian Island Swims, Catalina Channel, Fremantle-Rottnest, and the Irish Sea. And finally, swims that will just tear your heart out, you wish they had never gone in the water.