{"id":356870,"date":"2019-03-08T16:05:12","date_gmt":"2019-03-08T23:05:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=356870"},"modified":"2019-04-17T18:58:38","modified_gmt":"2019-04-18T01:58:38","slug":"open-water-triple-crown-swimmer-marcy-macdonald-inducted-international-swimming-hall-fame","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/open-water-triple-crown-swimmer-marcy-macdonald-inducted-international-swimming-hall-fame\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Water & Triple Crown Swimmer, Marcy MacDonald, To Be Inducted Into International Swimming Hall of Fame"},"content":{"rendered":"

Marcy MacDonald<\/strong>‘s motto is “Dream, Prepare, Succeed.”\u00a0 It is this outlook on life, along with her determination that has guided Marcy to an impressive list of open water swimming accomplishments including 16 English Channel swims (including three double crossings – there AND back), 5 swims around Manhattan Island, a swim across Loch Ness (luckily, no monster sighting), a swim around the Island of Jersey UK, a Catalina Island channel crossing, and too many more to list.\u00a0 From the age of 12, Marcy knew that open water swimming was her passion and she remains committed to that ambition today.\u00a0 Marcy MacDonald will be inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2019 during the Honoree Induction ceremony in Fort Lauderdale, Florida,<\/a> May 18, 2019.<\/p>\n

Meet Marcy in person and hear her incredible life story at the\u00a0ISHOF Induction dinner.\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0 Become an\u00a0ISHOF Legacy Member and attend the ISHOF Induction Dinner for FREE.<\/a>\u00a0 Can’t attend the event? Please consider making a donation to ISHOF<\/a> to support Marcy and our other inspirational honorees<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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FOR THE RECORD MARCY’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS: <\/span>16 English Channel Crossings including 3 double crossings, Loch Ness (36 km\/22 miles), around the Island of Jersey UK (66 km\/41 miles), Ederle Swim (28 km\/17.5 miles), three times across Long Island Sound (27 km\/17 miles), 5 times around Manhattan Island (46 km\/28.5 miles), Molokai Channel (42 km\/26 miles), Tampa Bay (24 miles), 3 times Boston Harbor (10 miles), Maui Channel (10 miles), around Mercer Island, WA (20 km\/12.4 miles) and the Triple Crown.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Marcy MacDonald is a purist.\u00a0 She believes in swimming in the purist form: a bathing suit, a cap and googles, no wetsuit or any performance enhancers.\u00a0 When Marcy MacDonald was 12 years old, she told her younger sister that she would swim the English Channel one day, and she lived up to that promise many times over.\u00a0 The English Channel is her one great love.<\/p>\n

\"Marcy

English Channel crossing; Photo Courtesy: Marcy MacDonald<\/p><\/div>\n

MacDonald completed her first Channel crossing in 1994.\u00a0 Since then she has \u00a0made 16 crossings, three of which were double crossings.\u00a0 She was the first American woman to swim across the English Channel to France and back in 2001. \u00a0Of her crossings, MacDonald says the chill factor is the biggest barrier. \u201cThe swimmer must endure cool seas, ranging from 59 to 67 degrees, for between 10 to 20 hours, making hypothermia, a major consideration.\u201d<\/p>\n

At 18.2 nautical miles, the English Channel is considered by many as the Mount Everest of Open Water Swims. It is a stretch of water that connects the shores of England to the Shores of France.\u00a0 Most swimmers leave from the famed Whited Cliffs of Dover at Shakespeare Beach and hopefully end up on the shore of Cap Gris Nez.\u00a0 MacDonald says, \u201cThis is where I feel at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

MacDonald was also the first American and the fifth solo swimmer in history to swim the full 23 miles across the famed Loch Ness, in Scotland.\u00a0 \u00a0While completing the swim, MacDonald was also raising money for Homes for the Brave<\/em>, a charity that provides housing and services to homeless veterans.<\/p>\n

\"Marcy

Loch Ness crossing; Photo Courtesy: Marcy MacDonald<\/p><\/div>\n

MacDonald will attest that she and most other marathon swimmers crave a challenge; it\u2019s what keeps them going.\u00a0 Just like climbers who search for mountains to conquer, marathon swimmers need to swim open waters, channels, or bays. Large bodies of water seem to always call out to them.<\/p>\n

The most-famous swims on the open water circuit make up what is known as the Triple Crown.\u00a0 The English Channel, The Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, and the Catalina Channel Swim.\u00a0 MacDonald completed the Triple Crown in 2013 and became a member of an exclusive club that had under 100 members at the time.<\/p>\n

MacDonald has completed the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, a 28.5-mile circumnavigation of the island of Manhattan, five times in her career. Water temps are much warmer than the Channel crossing, as they tend to range from 64-67 degrees in June to the mid-70\u2019s in July.\u00a0 Her best time swimming around the island was on June 12, 1999, with a time of 7 hours and 13.04 minutes.<\/p>\n

As for the Catalina Channel Crossing, MacDonald swam the 20.1 miles from Catalina Island to the shores of San Pedro, California on June 25, 2013, in 12 hours, 09 minutes with partner, Scott Lautman<\/strong>, in a tandem swim.<\/p>\n

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\"Marcy

Photo Courtesy: Marcy MacDonald<\/p><\/div>\n

Other notable swims that MacDonald has completed include: the 24-mile Tampa Bay, Florida, Marathon Swim; a solo swim around Mercer Island, Washington; and a Swim Across the Sound, a 17-mile swim across Long Island Sound, NY.\u00a0 Marcy completed the Swim Across the Sound swim three times which is a major fundraiser for the St. Vincent\u2019s Medical Center Foundation of CT.<\/p>\n

MacDonald has successfully crossed the Ka\u2019iwi Channel and the Maui Channel, both in Hawaii. \u00a0She completed the 41-mile Round Jersey solo swim in the United Kingdom, the Kingdom Swim between Vermont and Quebec, and the Ederle Swim from The Battery in New York to Sandy Hook, New Jersey. MacDonald even attempted a 52-mile swim from England to Belgium, that had never been attempted before, but after 15 hours, an injury to her left shoulder forced her to stop at a beach north of Calais.<\/p>\n

MacDonald has been inducted into three Halls of Fame: The International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, the American International College Hall of Fame, and the Manchester Sports Hall of Fame. \u00a0In 2004, she was given The Allison Streeter MBE award, and in 2011 she was named the World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.<\/p>\n

\"Marcy

Photo Courtesy: Marcy MacDonald<\/p><\/div>\n

Dr. Marcy MacDonald is a Podiatrist and operates her own practice in Manchester, CT. \u00a0In her spare time, she enjoys coaching at the Laurel East Hartford YMCA and gives talks about her exciting adventures and open water swims.\u00a0 MacDonald does find time to fit in her training, so she is always ready for that next big swim. \u201cIt’s just right stroke, left stroke, right stroke, left stroke — for hours on end, the Life of an Open Water Swimmer!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Marcy

Photo Courtesy: Marcy MacDonald<\/p><\/div>\n

ABOUT THE ENGLISH CHANNEL SWIM<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Swimmers have been crossing the English Channel since 1875 and doing so on a regular basis since the early 1920\u2019s.\u00a0 The English Channel is the best-known bucket list item for marathon and open water swimmers.\u00a0 Over 1,500 men and women have swum the English Channel and we could not even guess the number that have tried it.<\/p>\n

\"space-station-english-channel-nasa\"

English Channel from Space; Photo Courtesy: NASA, wikiCommons<\/p><\/div>\n

By nearly all accounts, it is the most difficult. It’s more than 20 miles, it’s cold, the ship traffic is intense, the water is saltier, and the tides can bring swimmers to a halt. As swimmers from England approach the French shore, the changing tides and currents can force them to basically swim in place for up to four hours.<\/p>\n

The English Channel is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, with approximately 600 vessels moving up and down them every day, plus ferries, sea cats, and jetfoils crossing between England and France on very regular intervals.\u00a0 Channel swims differ from other swims of this distance by their complexity and the local environment.\u00a0 The Channel has quite a lot of hazards such as seaweed and flotsam and jetsam (rubbish and timbers, etc.).\u00a0 It usually has a swell and when the wind is in the opposite direction to the tide it can turn quite choppy.<\/p>\n

The swim is every bit a mental swim, especially while swimming in the darkness of night or fog.\u00a0 There is an element of luck involved in getting everything to fall right on the day.\u00a0 The swimmer can only wear a swim suit, swim cap and googles, NO wetsuits are permitted.\u00a0 A solo crossing starts the moment the swimmer enters the water off the English shores.\u00a0 During the swim, nourishment must be taken in without touching or holding onto the boat.\u00a0 The crossing is complete and successful when the swimmer walks or climbs onto the French land without assistance.\u00a0 Therefore, it is one of the ultimate challenges.<\/p>\n

About The International Swimming Hall of Fame\u00a0Induction Weekend<\/a><\/h2>\n

\"International<\/p>\n

The\u00a0International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) Induction Ceremony is shaping up to be a star-studded weekend with multiple events spread out over three days in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida.\u00a0 Make your plans now to attend the weekend of May 17-19, 2019!\u00a0\u00a0ISHOF Members can purchase the Weekend Package and Save<\/a>!\u00a0 Can’t attend the event? Make a donation to ISHOF<\/a> to support our honorees.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s International Swimming Hall of Fame honorees include\u00a0<\/span>Swimmers:\u00a0<\/span>Jason Lezak <\/b><\/a>(USA), <\/span>Otylia Jedrzejczak <\/b><\/a>(POL),<\/span> Stephanie Rice<\/b><\/a> (AUS), <\/span>Britta Steffen<\/b><\/a> (GER); Diver: Li Ting <\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/b>(CHN); Water Polo Player:\u00a0<\/span>Alessandro Campagna <\/b><\/a>(ITA); Coach:\u00a0<\/span>Boris Popov<\/a>\u00a0<\/b>(RUS)<\/span>;\u00a0\u00a0<\/b>Synchronized Swimmer:<\/span>\u00a0Olga Sedakova <\/a><\/b>(RUS);\u00a0<\/span>Open Water Swimmer<\/span>: Marcy MacDonald<\/b> (USA); Contributor:\u00a0<\/span>Dr. Ferenc Salamon<\/b><\/a> (HUN); and Pioneer<\/span>: Alfred Nakache<\/a><\/b>* (FRA). \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

ISHOF will also present the 2019 Gold Medallion Award, ISHOF’s highest honor, to<\/span> Dr. Joseph B. MacInnis<\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n

2019 Paragon Award<\/a> and ISHOF Specialty Award<\/a> Recipients<\/h2>\n