Marty McMahon Completes Open-Water Triple Crown With Swim Around Catalina Island
Thirty-six years after he crossed the English Channel, Connecticut resident Marty McMahon has completed the Triple Crown of open-water swimming. Over the summer, McMahon swam around Catalina Island in California, marking the completion of the final leg of a three-swim journey that started in 1985.
According to NBC Connecticut, McMahon was a 22-year-old when he traveled to England and crossed the English Channel in his first attempt. In 1989, he completed the second leg of the Triple Crown when he swam around Manhattan. But it wasn’t until this summer that McMahon checked off the Catalina Island portion of the challenge. His first attempt at the California leg came up short in 2012.
“There’s elation and I think I got pretty choked up on this swim, especially with the failed attempt,” McMahon told NBC Connecticut. “It becomes so important to you.”
In addition to completing the Triple Crown, McMahon raised more than $6,000 for the Asperger/Autism Network.
Must mean Catalina crossing. Swimming around is not a part of triple crown.