Bikinis & Boardwalks is a program broadcast on America’s Travel Channel and will travel with Aaron Peirsol, Ashley Twichell and Lexie Kelly to Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro for a made-for-television open water race held this weekend.
In the elite professional race, a male and female team of professional athletes will each race three 500m loops in the ocean course. Each 2-person team can choose who they want to go first and who will be the anchor.
But Bikinis & Boardwalks will also cover the Americans as they train and prepare, eat the local foods and interact with their fellow competitors, and enjoy the sights and sounds of Rio de Janeiro.
The Travel Channel is an American cable and satellite television channel that features documentaries, reality, and how-to shows related to travel and leisure around the world. Programming has included shows in African animal safaris, tours of grand hotels and resorts, visits to significant cities and various foods across the world, but this will be its first show on competitive open water swimming.
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.