Given the second chance to complete a circumnavigation around Manhattan Island, nine swimmers including Kristian Rutford, Nicole Hirschman, Frank Levy, Karen Throsby, Caitlin Rosen, Phyllis Ho, James Penrose, Jim Neitz, and Steven Green took the NYC Swim up on the offer.

All nine held up on their side of the bargain: successful swims around Manhattan in times that ranged from 8 hours 22 minutes to 9 hours 8 minutes. The success was particularly sweet after the disappointment of not completing their earlier attempts (read background here by Caitlin Rosen).

To the delight of their supporters, fans of the sport, family, and friends, a quartet of swimmers not only completed yesterday’s 28.5-mile circumnavigation around Manhattan, but they also achieved one of the rarest feats in the open water swimming world: the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming.

Karen Throsby (8 hours 41 minutes), James Penrose (8 hours 42 minutes), Jim Neitz (8 hours 54 minutes), and Steven Green (9 hours 8 minutes) became respectively the 73rd, 74th, 75th, and 76th individuals in history to join the exclusive club of swimmers who have completed the English Channel, Catalina Channel, and Manhattan Island Marathon Swim.

Dr. Throsby was more than thrilled at completing the circle. She wrote on her Facebook page, “[It was an] amazing day yesterday – very different day in atmosphere, conditions, and happily, outcome to the June event. All 9 starters completed the swim, and we were the beneficiaries of some extraordinarily generous volunteerism from boaters, observers, crews and kayakers who had been there in June and wanted to see the job done. Humbling.”

Jim Neitz remarked, “It was a good day with great weather and warm water (72-76ºF). Because of early start within tide cycle, there was about an hour of slight head current in the Harlem River and some heavy chop during the last 2 hours but nothing untoward. There was a great vibe among the 9 swimmers with a relaxed atmosphere and everyone back with a purpose, cooperative weather, smooth logistics. All 9 swimmers finished strong including 4 Triple Crowners who finished within 30 minutes of one another.”

Nicole Hirschman was also happy with the ambiance, “I have been open water swimming for about 10 years, but I just recently started with marathon distances. I hope to continue to add fun crazy swims to my résumé. This is a wonderful sport, and I’m happy to be a part of it.”

The results of the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim is posted here; the full Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming list is posted here.

Copyright © 2013 by World Open Water Swimming Association