On a 93 mile Uber ride from the airport there is a lot of time to think. We were making the trek on Sunday night from JFK to the first base camp in Poughkeepsie, some 40 miles from our eventual starting point in Catskill, NY. Most of our thoughts were some variation of…”wow this is a long drive” followed closely by “wait, we have to swim all the way back…and a lot more.”
That ride sets the scene for the longest stage swim race in the world as we stare down 120 miles of the Hudson River. Starting tomorrow we will be in the water for 13-20 miles a day.
Swimming is the perfect blend of the individual and the team. It’s difficult to imagine all of the work that goes on behind the scenes to pull of an event like 8 Bridges. Each swimmer has their own dedicated kayaker and, for the last stage, an additional support boat. So despite everything that has to come together for the opportunity, it’s still on the swimmer to take the next stroke, to swim towards the horizon, and in the case of this event on to the next bridge.
My brother, John, and I are two of the eight swimmers who are entered in each of the seven stages. We’ll be joining people from across the country and around the world as we swim our way back to the airport.