The 120 Mile Hudson River Grind

Hello Friends! This June/July 2016 I will be attempting to swim the lower 120 miles of the Hudson River! This summer is the 6th annual N.Y.O.W 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim. It is the longest marathon swim in the world. It is a bridge to bridge swim with an average distance of 17.2 miles per day, over 7 consecutive days. For you geography/bridge buffs, it includes: Rip Van Winkle | Kingston-Rhinecliff | Mid-Hudson | Newburgh-Beacon | Bear Mountain | Tappan Zee | George Washington | Verrazano Narrows Bridges. The Hudson River has played a fundamental role in the rich history of our great nation, and during the swim I will be passing iconic sights such as: West Point, Manhattan Island, and The Statue of Liberty (huge motivation)! The 8 Bridges Swim promotes the health and enjoyment of the Hudson River. Swimmers can sign up to swim as many days as they want… or they can attempt “The Odyssey,” all 7 stages over 7 days. This swim is a new challenge for me, and one where the recovery training is just as important as the swimming training itself. After swimming the English Channel in 2014, my dear parents, brother and I needed to have a year to recharge, organize, and graduate from our respective colleges (Cam from University of Washington, and for me, Smith College), before deciding on a new swimming challenge. After much consideration and planning, this summer provides the best opportunity to do a big swim. I have been training for the past few months, and am proud to be sponsored by  GRRRL, VOMAX, Vermont Peanut Butter Co., BRL Sports Nutrition. I will keep this blog alive (even though its still called theenglishchannelgrind.wordpress.com) and continue to give updates and answer questions! Thank you so much for all the support, and I look forward to taking you along on this journey!