{"id":150632,"date":"2015-08-17T08:54:49","date_gmt":"2015-08-17T15:54:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=150632"},"modified":"2015-08-19T09:48:02","modified_gmt":"2015-08-19T16:48:02","slug":"six-men-looking-to-become-oldest-to-swim-across-catalina-channel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/six-men-looking-to-become-oldest-to-swim-across-catalina-channel\/","title":{"rendered":"Six Men Looking To Become Oldest To Swim Across Catalina Channel"},"content":{"rendered":"

Don Baker<\/strong> is a bit like Michael Phelps<\/strong>. Tell Baker that something hasn\u2019t been done, and he\u2019s going to do it. That\u2019s what led to him gathering six other Masters swimmers for the opportunity to become the oldest men to swim across the Catalina Channel. The relay attempt is scheduled to begin at 12:01 a.m. Thursday.<\/p>\n

In 2013, six men in their 70s from San Diego teamed together to swim 21 miles from Catalina Island to the U.S. mainland in a little less than 11 hours. After hearing one of the members of that team boast about the accomplishment, Baker immediately called some friends \u2013 all in their 80s \u2013 to convince them they could be a part of history.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t that hard,\u201d Baker said of his recruiting efforts. \u201cThese are guys that like to push the envelope.\u201d<\/p>\n

Baker is a FINA Masters world champion and longtime open water swimmer with wins in the Maui Channel and La Jolla Cove swims. In pursuit of the Catalina Channel record, he enlisted six of some of the best Masters swimmers in the country: <\/p>\n

\nGraham Johnston<\/strong>, an Olympian from South Africa who owns several Masters world records and has completed many open water swims;<\/p>\n

David Radcliff<\/strong>, who recently came into prominence when he broke three distance freestyle Masters world records in one swim<\/a>;<\/p>\n

U.S. Masters swimming record holders Bob Best<\/strong> and Norman Stupfel<\/strong>;<\/p>\n

Open water aficionados Robert Beach<\/strong> and Bill Spore<\/strong>, who don\u2019t hold any swimming records, but hold impressive open water swimming credentials. Beach has completed the treacherous swim from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco many times, while Spore\u2019s open water career began in his high school days.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The relay is set to begin Thursday at 12:01 a.m. on the shore of Catalina Island. Six of the men will take turns swimming in the Pacific Ocean in one-hour blocks until the last swimmer reaches the shore at San Pedro on the California coastline. At the moment, Stupfel will remain on the boat as an alternate unless one of the original six needs to be removed from the rotation for medical reasons.<\/p>\n

The Catalina Channel swim is part of the Ocean\u2019s Seven<\/a>, a list of seven waterways that are considered the toughest to cross in the world. Other swims in the Ocean\u2019s Seven list include the English Channel, the North Channel and the Strait of Gibraltar. As with all open water swims looking to gain legal status and credibility, none of the swimmers may wear wetsuits and must not touch the support boat or any member of the support crew while swimming. The only person a swimmer touches during his swim is the one who is taking over for his hour-long swim.<\/p>\n

Along with the varied ocean wildlife they\u2019ll swim through, the six will have to brave the 55-degree water, something Baker said might be the biggest challenge for the group.<\/p>\n

\u201cHypothermia is a big concern for anyone in their 80s,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The men enlisted a hefty support staff to guide them safely across the channel, including a doctor and a nurse. Also, two kayakers and a paddleboarder will accompany the swimmers across to keep them on course.<\/p>\n

Another concern is swimming in the middle of the night, which can mentally play games with even the most veteran swimmer. Not being able to see anything in the water, or spot the shoreline, can be disconcerting even during a one-hour swim.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll just take it one stroke at a time,\u201d Baker said.<\/p>\n

All seven of the men in the group have swum against each other for more than 20 years in Masters competition. Some win more than others, but this week, the rivalries will dissipate for a chance at history.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all good friends,\u201d said Baker, \u201cand it\u2019ll be great to be on the same team together.\u201d<\/p>\n

To learn more about the swim, and to track their progress beginning Thursday morning, go to TheOldMenAndtheSea.com<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Don Baker is a bit like Michael Phelps. Tell Baker that something hasn\u2019t been done, and he\u2019s going to do it. That\u2019s what led to him gathering six other Masters<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":150633,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,9,11],"tags":[256,53773,36300,42866,13884,32516,53771,166,3922,44770,28513,6176,6302,53772,45923,25089,7123,36753,142],"class_list":["post-150632","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-masters","category-open-water","tag-alcatraz-island","tag-bill-spore","tag-bob-best","tag-catalina-channel","tag-catalina-island","tag-david-radcliff","tag-don-baker","tag-english-channel","tag-graham-johnston","tag-long-distance-swimming","tag-marathon-swimming","tag-masters-swimming","tag-michael-phelps","tag-norman-stupfel","tag-north-channel","tag-open-water-swimming","tag-robert-beach","tag-strait-of-gibraltar","tag-swimming"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nSix 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