A Rare Bit of Professional Marathon Swimming History

Steven Munatones 02/28/2022 open water swimming No Comment

Ed Keating was an American open water swimmer and swimming instructor from New York City who entered and won the 1927 Lake George Marathon Swim in 18 hours 47 minutes over International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Honor Swimmer Ernest Vierkoetter and 140 other competitors from around the world.

He received US$5,000 as the first prize (worth $80,789 today). He also won the 1929 £5000 Marathon swim in Lake Ontario, a 15-mile professional marathon swim and 1929 edition of the Canadian National Exhibition over 325 swimmers (worth $78,967 today).

Not a bad day’s work for a member of the International Professional Swimmers Association that was founded in New York in 1927.

His entry form to the 1927 Lake George Marathon Swim is being auctioned off today on eBay – see here and above.

International Professional Swimmers Association

The International Professional Swimmers Association was an international association organized in 1927 in Manhattan, New York. Its officers included:

William Wrigley, Jr., Honorary President
Captain George H. Maines, Active President
William Burgess of Dover, England, Vice President
Elwood Hughes of Toronto, Canada, Vice President
C. Compton of Long Beach. California, Vice President
Lou Timson of Boston, Massachusetts, Secretary and Treasurer

Its Board of Governors consisted of:

Edward Keating of New York
William Erickson of New York
Byron Summers of San Francisco
Lottie Schoemmell of Lake George, New York
Eva Morrison of Boston, Massachusetts
Ernest Vierkoetter of Berlin, Germany
Paul Chotteau of Paris, France
William Sadlo Jr. of New York
Ethel Hertle of New York
Mobile Bill Jackson of Mobile, Alabama
Leo Purcell of San Francisco, California
May Elwell of Revere, Massachusetts
Sam Swartz of Glens Falls, New York
Captain T. W. Sheffield of Balboa, California
Johnny Walker of Toronto, Canada
Olaf Farstadt of Norway
Ernst M. Smith of San Francisco, California
Charles Toth of Boston, Massachusetts
Henry Sullivan of Lowell, Massachusetts
James Burns of New York
Edith Hedin of Toronto, Canada
Harold “Stubby” Kruger of Hawaii
Georges Michel of Paris, France
Norman Ross of Chicago, Illinois
Clarence Ross of New York
George Young of Toronto, Canada, Associate Member for Life
Gertrude Ederle, Associate Member for Life
Millie Gade Corson, Associate Member for Life

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Steven Munatones

Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards, Oceans Seven, Openwaterpedia, Citrus Corps, World Open Water Swimming Association, Daily News of Open Water Swimming, Global Open Water Swimming Conference. He is Chief Executive Officer of KAATSU Global and KAATSU Research Institute. Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor - Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame's Poseidon Award (2016), International Swimming Hall of Fame's Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award (2010), USA Swimming's Glen S. Hummer Award (2007, 2010) and Harvard University's John B. Imrie Award (1984). Served on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and as Technical Delegate with the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, and 9-time USA Swimming coaching staff. Note: WOWSA only recommends products or services used or recommended by the community. WOWSA does not receive compensation for links or products mentioned on this site or in blog posts. If it does, it will be indicated clearly on that specific post. See WOWSA's privacy policy for more information.

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