{"id":635785,"date":"2026-01-30T01:01:36","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T08:01:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=635785"},"modified":"2026-01-30T09:01:56","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T16:01:56","slug":"how-the-international-marathon-swimming-hall-imshof-of-fame-works","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-the-international-marathon-swimming-hall-imshof-of-fame-works\/","title":{"rendered":"How the International Marathon Swimming Hall (IMSHOF) of Fame Works"},"content":{"rendered":"

How the International Marathon Swimming Hall (IMSHOF) of Fame Works<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Ned Denison<\/p>\n

There are thousands<\/a> of \u201cHalls of Fame\u201d in operation around the world. While many focus on sports, they also include other fields – Automotive, Barbecue, Black Filmmakers, International Latin Music, Quilters, Australian Prospectors & Miners’, Military Intelligence, Scottish Engineering, Blackjack, World Video Game, and Potato. The list goes on.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t smile. Some fast-food restaurants proudly advertise the farms where they source the potatoes.\u00a0 If you were the farmer, imagine the pride in being in the Potato Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n

The goal of a hall of fame\u00a0 is simple: Promote the field of endeavor and honor individuals and organizations. It is worth noting that Halls of Fame are very popular in the USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia, but less so in the rest of the world.<\/p>\n

At the top level of sports is, perhaps, the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Currently, it has 352 elected members, including 279 former Major League players, as well as 40 executives\/pioneers, 23 managers and 10 umpires. Those selected to this Hall are universally called \u201cHall of Famers,\u201d even before their World Series titles, All-Star selections and batting championships are mentioned. Annual selections are U.S. national news and the best current players are called \u201cFuture Hall of Famers.\u201d Mention \u201cCooperstown\u201d to any baseball fan and they instantly know of their famous museum.<\/p>\n

The International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (IMSHOF) applies to a much smaller sport (open water swims of 10k+). It was started in 1971 and includes Induction class from 1963. Currently, it has 353 Honorees, including 250 swimmers, 59 administrators, 14 coaches, 18 organizations and 12 pilots.<\/p>\n

IMSHOF immortalizes the sport and the achievements\/contributions of their Honorees at annual ceremonies and through several online vehicles:\u00a0 Website<\/a>, Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Newsletters<\/a>, and a public electronic library<\/a>. Daily posts on Facebook range from a birthdate celebration to recent accomplishments to sport history to recent recorded interviews. Marathon swimming is different from most sports as individuals often participate well into their 70s and even 80s. As a result, IMSHOF Honoree biographies<\/a>, with video links and lists of accomplishments, continue to evolve over decades. IMSHOF is part of the International Swimming Hall of Fame, which is currently rebuilding its physical museum in Fort Lauderdale.<\/p>\n

\"International

International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame<\/p><\/div>\n

IMSHOF is managed by a truly international Executive Committee<\/a>, six representatives aged 20s to 70s, which collaborates on a monthly call:<\/p>\n