{"id":532564,"date":"2023-07-17T21:36:49","date_gmt":"2023-07-18T04:36:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=532564"},"modified":"2023-07-17T21:36:49","modified_gmt":"2023-07-18T04:36:49","slug":"maya-merhige-15-completes-20-bridges-swim-around-manhattan-for-charity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/maya-merhige-15-completes-20-bridges-swim-around-manhattan-for-charity\/","title":{"rendered":"Maya Merhige, 15, Completes 20 Bridges Swim Around Manhattan for Charity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Maya Merhige, 15, Completes 20 Bridges Swim Around Manhattan for Charity<\/strong><\/p>\n

Maya Merhige<\/strong>, a 15-year-old from Berkeley, California, completed the legendary 20 Bridges swim around the island of Manhattan.<\/p>\n

The 28.5-mile swim was done to raise funds for cancer research in partnership with Swim Across America. She completed the time, starting at 6 p.m. on Saturday evening, in eight hours, 43 minutes.<\/p>\n

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Maya Merhige; Photo Courtesy: Swim Across America<\/p><\/div>\n

Merhige is one of the youngest swimmers ever to manage the 20 Bridges swim, part of the Triple Crown of open water swims.<\/p>\n

“I swim for each and every single person that has ever been touched by cancer. Whether it\u2019s for a patient, a doctor, a family member, or a friend, I swim for them all,\u201d Merhige said in a Swim Across America press release. \u201cCancer is one of the most devastating things to go through, and I swim to honor all of those who use all of their strength to fight this disease. Although I swim for all of them, there is one specific friend whose spirit especially fuels me. Sam Hallward, a family friend of mine, passed away from brain cancer (DIPG) in December 2022 at the age of 12. He was one of the most outgoing and adventurous kids I knew, and I just know that he would have loved to be in all of the awesome places that I get to go while swimming.”<\/p>\n