Book Description
The History of Open-Water Marathon Swimming by Captain Tim Johnson, a registered professional engineer and licensed boat captain, covers swimming from the perspective of an active participant in the organization of the Manhattan Island 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 Austrian swims prior to Capt. Webb and prior to Lord Bryon are included. The author includes the role the New York Athletic Club played in the development of the modern swimming stroke 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 history includes the development of baths, their alternatives, and the role they played in the development of the swimming arts. The outcry over the dire need for swimming education of the public at large and the response of the City of New York, swimming clubs and associations, and 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 scoop on the Florida Strait 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 in brief from his days as a lifeguard in New Jersey to a demonstration of his lifesaving suit before Queen Victoria, "swims" and 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 that revealed the first secret of the Manhattan swim is discussed and a formula to calculate a swimmer’s expected finishing time is revealed as well as how this knowledge was applied. Discussed in detail is the complete history of the Manhattan marathon swim, swims to and from the Battery, plus a swim record still held by Gertrude Ederle. Swim injuries are discussed and statistical facts about these injuries are reported that are alarming. The role swimming played in the struggle for freedom contrasted against today’s geopolitical policies and a call for a National Freedom Swim as commemoration. 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 the Congressional Metal of Honor are covered. 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 and the first competition ever held 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 down the length of the Bosporus, the first swim across the Gulf of Finland, and the first swim ever recorded in a newspaper as well as the first swim every cancelled due to pollution. 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, Cook Strait, Boston Light, other New England swims, Chesapeake Bay, British swims, professional swims, Gibraltar Strait, Palk Strait, San Francisco and other West Coast swims, 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.
Publisher comments
This is a swimming reference book that includes the many different aspects of swimming: lake and river swims, historical swim, major swims occuring today, historical perspective on the development of the swimming strokes, and the role of the Red Cross, YMCA, clubs, and cities had in promoting swimming. The organizations behind swimming: their successes and failures. Issues that are ordinarily dodged in discussion but make all the difference between having a swim and not having one are covered. Personalities on the fringe of swimming are covered and in doing so uncover aspects of swimming role in society. Individuals dedication to swimming become self evident from descriptions of their swims and efforts to conquer great distances. Swims that just wouldn't be considered swims are explained and a method to deal with "assisted" swim is discussed.
