Venetian eSplash — 40 Mile Challenge 10.8.2012

A huge success by anyone’s standards, VPCA’s first annual 40 Mile Swim Challenge concluded Sunday, September 30, with the end of Extended Swim. More than 100 members enrolled and 36 members met or exceeded the challenge and are now sporting striking Frank Andre designed t shirts around town.

Jessica Landisman Williams was unstoppable and led the way, completing an astounding 177 miles during the Venetian swim season. She will be the first entry on a permanent plaque commemorating each year’s top swimmer. Laura Doonan finished second, swimming an astonishing 130 miles.

Here are the other winning swimmers. Those with * exceeded 40 miles:
Rick Alembik*
Frank Andre
Nancy Jackson Anastasiades*
Hope Baker
Libbie Banks
Marcia Borowski
Lynn Borsuk
Michael Brierly
Torey Brierly
Jack Brierly
Sam Brown*
Adeline Carlton
James Coblin
Nick Cortese
Lisa Crawford
Christine De Catanzaro*
John Duffield
Cherly Eschbach*
Tony Fiore*
Rachel Fiore*
Maya Hahn*
Joanne Hauserman*
Terri Kruzan
Elizabeth Lide*
Juliet Mavromatis*
Kreton Mavromatis*
Aaron McClennen
Warner McConaughy*
Ken Nuttall*
Michael Purser*
Linda Rathje
Jennie Richardson*
Robin Rock

All told, we swam more than 2200 miles, enough to take us from 150 Scott Blvd, home of Venetian Pools, to just past Cali, Colombia, or to Abbotsford, B.C., Canada, or to Trinidad and Tobago, or to the Northwestern Passages of Canada, just southwest of Greenland, or to Grants Pass, Oregon. We could have swum the English Channel, at its widest point (150 miles) almost 15 times. We could have swum from Key West, Florida to Havana Cuba 21 times.

The 40 Mile Swim Challenge created serious lap swimmers from casual splashers, brought families together, and gave all a chance to compete with themselves, rather than against others. The best part of the 40 Mile Swim Challenge was that it was fun for all who participated and everyone is looking forward to doing it again in 2013.