Weather Forces Elizabeth Beisel to Postpone Block Island Swim Attempt

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Photo Courtesy: Cate Brown

Weather Forces Elizabeth Beisel to Postpone Block Island Swim Attempt

Elizabeth Beisel announced on Tuesday that Thursday’s scheduled attempted swim to Block Island has been postponed.

Beisel made the announcement on her Instagram page. The 29-year-old veteran of three Olympics cited adverse weather conditions caused by Hurricane Larry, which is currently several hundred miles north and east of the Leeward Islands as a Category 3 hurricane. Larry is not expected to make landfall on the East Coast, but it will churn up coastal waters through New England this week. The main threat will be swells that “are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions,” according to National Hurricane Center hurricane specialist Brad Reinhart said.

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Beisel wrote:

This is absolutely, 100% the right decision as safety is our top priority, and our new target date will likely be in two weeks and will be confirmed ASAP. Thank you all for the continuous support, and my sincerest apologies to those who had rearranged their schedules to be there this Thursday. At the end of the day, Block Cancer is about raising money for cancer research and clinical trials, and we will continue to do just that – swim or no swim

Beisel is attempting to be the first woman to complete the unassisted Block Island Sound swim, leaving from Port Judith in Rhode Island. She’s partnered with Swim Across America to raise money for cancer awareness under the “Block Cancer” campaign. Donations are ongoing, and she is 85 percent of the way to her goal of $125,000 raised.

Beisel, a two-time Olympic medalist, author and swimming broadcaster for NBC, undertook the swim in honor of her father, Ted, who was diagnosed in December with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He died this summer after a seven-month battle with the disease.

“I envisioned him being in Block Island waiting for me to finish with an ear to ear grin on his face,” Elizabeth Beisel wrote on the Block Cancer event page. “I replayed the scene over and over of how as soon as I reached land I would run into his arms and give him a hug and he would whisper proudly ‘You did it, Elizabeth.’”

Beisel’s fundraising for cancer research and treatment continues. Links to contribute to Beisel’s Team Block Cancer campaign are here, along with the Block Cancer Store and Collars for the Cause.

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