Throughout New York City swimming history, women have demonstrated their endurance capabilities in the water – from Diana Nyad and Marcia Cleveland to Shelley Taylor-Smith and Penny Palfrey.
Liz Fry – the dynamo from Connecticut – is now one of the women in the pantheon of New York City greats.
Yesterday, Liz set three records in her double-crossing from Battery Park on Manhattan Island to Sandy Hook in New Jersey and from Sandy Hook back to Manhattan Island – and both ways.
Her solo swim from Manhattan Island to Sandy Hook, the traditional route of the 17.5-mile (28.1K) Ederle Swim, was a quick 4 hour 59 minute first leg. But she didn’t slow down much after her flip turn on the sandy shores of New Jersey. Her return leg to Manhattan was a very impressive 6 hours 6 minutes.
Besides her three English Channel swims, three Manhattan Island Marathon Swims, Catalina Channel Swim, her record-setting reverse Manhattan Island record and her admirable work as the Race Director for the annual Swim Across The Sound, her overall time of 11 hours 5 minutes now sets the bar for a two-way 35-mile swim between New York and New Jersey.
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.