Mountains Or Tropics – What Is More Difficult?
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. This is a really difficult question: What is harder?
The 66-mile triple crossing of Lake Tahoe – high in the Sierra Nevada mountains – by Jamie Patrick or the 72-mile crossing of Kaieiewaho Channel between Oahu and Kauai – out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean – by Penny Palfrey?
While Jamie Patrick will face cold water (12.7-15.5°C or 55-60°F) and altitude (6,225 feet or 1,897 meters) in his 106K unprecedented swim, Palfrey will face sharks and truly mountaneous seas over an uncharted 115K stretch in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Both are courageous. Both are audacious. Both are adventurous.
Patrick is a pioneering swimmer in the mountains while Palfrey is a daredevil in the tropics.Both are training to swim 30 – 40 hours, straight through the night and throughout the next day. Both are going way beyond the normal or the expected.
With these open water heroes, Expect the Unexpected.
Copyright © 2010 by World Open Water Swimming Association
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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