What I Learned Swimming Around Manhattan

Swimming around Manhattan was an incredible experience! Officially known as 20 Bridges, this swim is named after the number of bridges to and from the island. It’s 28.5 miles around and includes navigating the Hudson, East, and Harlem rivers. Each body of water has their own unique currents, tides, and marine traffic which kept things interesting. Here’s what I learned.

When I sent my application in, I was asked for my fastest 1-hour pool swim. Why? Given the tides and current, swims are organized based on speed. This increases the odds of getting around the island at your pace before the waters change direction. Not arriving at certain spots could mean treading water for a bit before the tides change, or getting pulled from the swim because the shifting currents are stronger than you are.    

A week before my swim I received a detailed excel sheet with landmarks and estimated timelines based on my pace. Yikes, this was fast! That’s when I realized that I never converted my 1-hour swim distance from yards to meters as the application requested. Overstating my speed by 10% meant I was going to have to swim quickly so I didn’t fall behind, this was going to be an interesting swim.  

It was a chilly Wednesday in October when we met up at North Cove, not far from One World Trade Center. Air temperatures were in the mid-50s with water temps at 64 degrees. The wind was blowing at 12 miles an hour with bigger gusts creating chop in the water.

I reminded myself that I selected this window (as opposed to the summer) as I want to challenge myself swimming in colder waters. I wanted to see what’s possible by enduring lower temperatures for longer periods of time. How far can I push my brain and body? To prepare, my training consisted of lots of pool time, open water swimming, and visualizing all possibilities. This included thinking about all the ways things could go well (and sideways) at some point; I didn’t want to react or be surprised by anything given the distance of this swim.

Around 10am, Captain Roy arrived on his rigid inflatable boat, and we loaded up all our gear before a 30-minute boat ride to the start of the swim. Open water swimming is a team sport and made possible by cool volunteers. Kathy was my official observer and would make sure I followed the rules. No wetsuit, just a speedo and a non-insulating swim cap and goggles. No touching the boat, kayak, or anyone once the swim began. Also, no watches or music or timing devices to track your stroke rate.   

Mary was on the boat with Kathy and Captain Roy. She was head crewperson and would oversee bottle handoff to my kayaker Nathaniel. The kayaker would set the direction, and the swimmer would set the pace. Nathaniel would be paddling next to me the entire swim and finding the fast water while we both were shadowed by the boat. I’d receive feeds which were all liquid on a prearranged schedule so I could stay fueled. Nathaniel was in radio contact with Captain Roy about traffic (ferries, boats, tugs, ships) arriving in all directions.

The swim began at Mill Point, where the East River separates and the Harlem River begins.  Once we arrived Nathaniel checked his gear and separated from the boat in his kayak. I was bundled up from the start but now it was time to undress, apply sunscreen, and splash into the water and start my adventure.

I was focused on simply finishing given the aggressive pace my timeline showed. Jumping into the cool waters I swam with my head up to the starting position taking slow long deep breaths. I wasn’t alone, a superstar open water swimmer Lorelei, age 15, was swimming too, escorted by her own crew, boat, and kayaker. A whistle blew and we began swimming.

The Harlem River stretches 8 miles to the Hudson. It’s narrow and has varying currents.  One minute you get a push and the next you are getting pulled in another direction. I kept popping my head up to see the upcoming bridges. Fun fact, the Harlem River has the most bridges you swim under. Each time I tried to look around, I was smacked with a mouthful of water. After consuming an embarrassing amount of the Harlem, I stopped looking around and just swam.

I was swimming at a good pace, probably faster than I should to simply warm up. The wind continued to blow, and I felt like I was making progress. I should have dialed my pace back, but that silly excel sheet was bouncing around in my head. This is where training pays off.

First, I worked to turn off my analytical brain (the one in the front) and engage my emotional brain (the one in the back). How? A friend shared a tip on thinking about things in my favorite color. So, when I breathed, and saw buildings, birds, other boats in blue. My blue googles helped too as I tried not to think about numbers and time. One of the great benefits of swimming is there are no screens, emails, or conversations taking place. Just you and your mind, that’s a lot of time so staying positive is important.

Second, I segmented the swim into smaller chunks. There was the start, then the Hudson, George Washington Bridge, and then a longer swim to Pier A before arriving in the East River and heading north to Mill Point. Entering the Hudson was a wild experience as the two rivers met with aggressiveness. I swam to the middle of the river to pick up the current and journey south. 

Breathing only to my left meant I could see progress taking place as I got closer to mid-town and all the skyscrapers. I don’t remember a lot through this segment other than warmer water and the beautiful sun warming my back. 

As we approached the financial district it was late afternoon and ferry traffic had picked up. The waves were larger, and I saw Nathaniel on his radio a lot more.  We rounded Pier A and had to get around the battery where the Staten Island Ferry was now running every 20 minutes. Head down I just thought about my stroke and how small I was in this vast body of water.

Entering the East River the sun began setting and the glare was strong. It was hard to see Nathaniel and we briefly stopped several times for ferry traffic. I was more comfortable being horizontal than vertical, and knew we were entering the home stretch.  “Just another hour and half of swimming and you’re there”. That seemed like a lot until I remembered how long I’d been swimming so far.

Splashing under the Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Williamsburg bridges was impressive as the sky changed colors. Before I knew it, I was swimming under the Queensboro Bridge, number 20 and Mill point was just a little bit further ahead. I finished the swim, struggled onto the boat and attempted to dress myself to stay warm.  We motored back to North Cove and all I wanted was solid food and a warm beverage!

Final thoughts, I think we can all achieve so much more in life than we think is possible. How? Small steps taken each day in the direction you want to travel. I ended up beating the accelerated pace on that excel sheet by 8 minutes, finishing with an unofficial time of 6:43:05. If you had asked me before the start if I thought I could do it, I probably would have said no. But, by doing the work before showing up, staying positive, and being present allowed me to accept the possibility that today could be a great swim, and it was!

Thanks for reading!   

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