{"id":642761,"date":"2026-04-27T03:55:33","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T10:55:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=642761"},"modified":"2026-04-27T09:55:50","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T16:55:50","slug":"how-marathon-swimming-got-into-world-aquatics-and-later-the-olympics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/how-marathon-swimming-got-into-world-aquatics-and-later-the-olympics\/","title":{"rendered":"How Marathon Swimming Got Into World Aquatics and Later the Olympics"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>How Marathon Swimming Got Into World Aquatics and Later the Olympics<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Marathon swimming joined FINA (now World Aquatics) fully in 1991 and the Olympic Games in 2008. This journey took advantage of the progression of the sport for the last 200 years and, perhaps more importantly, a set of key political milestones with FINA. There were 10,000-plus swimmers, organizers, officials, pilots, crew, and several million spectators involved in this journey. At least 100 individuals have been directly involved with the FINA and Olympic decisions. The few mentioned below are Honorees of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imshof.org\/\">International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Marathon Swimming &#8211; Going Back 200 Years<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Marathon swim races were held for more than 150 years before FINA\/World Aquatics acceptance. Media accounts include an 18-mile race in Liverpool England in 1827. Several famous pool gold medal Olympians joined the marathon circuit and helped pave the way:<\/p>\n<p>1924 Paris: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imshof.org\/_files\/ugd\/bd1926_2cc4c9853f5946059eadaf6810678e6c.pdf\">Gertrude Ederle<\/a> was the first female to swim the English Channel, received a ticker tape parade in New York. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imshof.org\/_files\/ugd\/bd1926_1a830184bb1d413a9615fe6f6f1f32c0.pdf\">Martha Norelius<\/a> later won $10,000 in the 16.1 km race in Toronto which was witnessed by 100,000 spectators.<\/p>\n<p>1948 London: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imshof.org\/_files\/ugd\/bd1926_4d792bc2a99942a1a2a2b97496c26e51.pdf\">Greta Andersen<\/a> later won 14 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imshof.org\/majors-swims\">Majors<\/a> (designation for World Championships) and set many speed records.<\/p>\n<p>1968 M\u00e9xico City and 1972 Munich: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imshof.org\/_files\/ugd\/bd1926_bef9e3bd4dd8420bb9c71e7372d7632b.pdf\">John Kinsella<\/a> later won 7seven Majors (races) and set many speed records.<\/p>\n<p>Before FINA included marathon swimming in its 1991 World Championships, the sport had its own World Championships \u201cMajors\u201d including:\u00a0 Canadian National Exhibition: (Lake Ontario, Toronto, Canada) from 1927-1964; English Channel Races: 1950-1959; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imshof.org\/_files\/ugd\/bd1926_01df2cf7857341a2ab92ab868cae95ff.pdf\">Capri to Napoli<\/a>: (Italy) 1953-2006; Around Atlantic City: (New Jersey, USA) 1954-2004; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imshof.org\/_files\/ugd\/bd1926_863120fac37b44faa1121564dd955ad2.pdf\">Lac St. Jean<\/a>: (Quebec, Canada) 1958-1964.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Key Swimming Milestones Which Helped FINA Acceptance<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Marathon swimming was an important early endurance sport (for both men and women) and received considerable success in drawing spectators and media attention.\u00a0 Key events included:<\/p>\n<p>1875 &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imshof.org\/_files\/ugd\/bd1926_e6dc3a934acf4ecfa50ba54581995e28.pdf\">Captain Matthew Webb<\/a> the first to swim the English Channel.<\/p>\n<p>1926 &#8211; Gertrude Ederle the first female to swim the English Channel.<\/p>\n<p>1927 &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imshof.org\/_files\/ugd\/bd1926_c19d01f4ca654fa7a8aeda5697f530ad.pdf\">George Young<\/a> won the Catalina Channel race and collected a massive prize of $25,000 (equivalent to $375,000 in 2026).\u00a0 This led to the start of the marathon race at the Canadian National Exhibition, witnessed by more than 100,000 spectators.<\/p>\n<p>1954 &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imshof.org\/_files\/ugd\/bd1926_1354f22f542b4a298c137923e0d9e624.pdf\">Marilyn Bell<\/a> won the 51.5 km race across Lake Ontario in 1954, the first ever to complete the swim. During her 20 hours and 55 minutes swim, the local newspapers printed \u201cextras\u201d and more than 250,000 witnessed the finish.<\/p>\n<p>1958 &#8211; The top marathon swimmers in the world lined up for the races across the English Channel. Greta Andersen beat all the women and all the men, not the only time a woman won a big mixed gender race.<\/p>\n<p>1965 &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imshof.org\/_files\/ugd\/bd1926_9b25a9aeda09419b9b3f3aa11592298e.pdf\">Horacio Iglesias<\/a> won the first 88 km Marat\u00f3n Internacional Hernandarias \u2013 Paran\u00e1\u00a0in Argentina. Crowds numbered in the tens of thousands along the river side and nearly 20,000 at the finish.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Key Organizational Milestones Which Helped FINA Acceptance<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Marathon swimming was organized by a number of associations which promoted the sport, set rules, and established championships. The first was the International Professional Swimmers&#8217; Association in 1927 as marathon swimmers had no place in FINA for amateurs. This was replaced in 1953 by the International Long Distance Swimming Federation for Europe and Middle East and in 1963 by the World Professional Marathon Swimming Federation for North and South America.<\/p>\n<p>This set the stage for five events, and the final acceptance by FINA.<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.openwaterpedia.com\/index.php?title=USA_Long_Distance_International_Championships\">week after the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, the USA Long Distance International Championships, with many international swimmers, was held across the Catalina Channel in front of International Olympic Committee (IOC) and FINA executives to demonstrate the viability of a marathon swim.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>In 1985, the FINA Bureau appointed a &#8220;Long Distance Swimming Commission&#8221; to oversee the growing interest in the sport.<\/p>\n<p>In 1986, the first FINA 25 km Long Distance Swimming World Cup was held at Lake Windermere (England).<\/p>\n<p>This was the period of time where the bar on professionals in FINA slowly disappeared, critical because almost all the top international marathon swimmers were professionals.<\/p>\n<p>The final step was the merging of the two management organizations in 1991 into the International Marathon Swimming Association, as FINA needed to work with just one unified organization.<\/p>\n<p>In parallel, in 1965, The International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) was formed and was sanctioned by FINA as the official repository for the preservation and recording of aquatics history. In its first Class of Honorees in 1965, it included the famous marathon swimmers Captain Matthew Webb and Gertude Ederle. In 1971, the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame was formed and named Classes from 1963. It was part of ISHOF and induction of marathon swimmers and contributors became part of the long-term FINA inclusion journey.<\/p>\n<p>Full FINA acceptance occurred in January 1991 when, for the first time, a 25 km race was included in a FINA World Championships. Swimmers from 18 countries finished the races, important as FINA was looking for a wide geographic representation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Key Milestones Which Helped Marathon Swimming Arrive at the Olympics<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In 1992 within FINA, the Technical Open Water Swimming Committee (TOWSC) was formally established to replace the &#8220;Long Distance Swimming Commission.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>From 1995-1998, many 25 km races were run as loop courses in Australia. All the states wanted finals and, for many, no water would readily support straight line or out and back courses.<\/p>\n<p>In 1998, the TOWSC agreed on a model for an Olympic swim marathon. While many in the sport would have preferred a 25 km point to point swim, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imshof.org\/_files\/ugd\/bd1926_ced76c995cd542a582686f4e8fcb6d3a.pdf\">Christopher Guesdon<\/a> (Australia) was credited with creating the modern format of the Olympic 10 km Marathon Swim, together with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imshof.org\/_files\/ugd\/bd1926_60afeb48332a49d8a31f5e466cf645e7.pdf\">S.A. &#8220;Sid&#8221; Cassidy<\/a> (US) and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imshof.org\/_files\/ugd\/bd1926_4f57b15296d842efb8aac12bc6daf9f9.pdf\">Dennis Miller<\/a> (Fiji).<\/p>\n<p>The FINA World Championship included races of 5 km, 10 km, and 25 km. This was important because while the traditional marathoners wanted 25 km races, FINA was looking for a shorter race (about two hours) that also enhanced spectator experience. The 10 km races have been an integral part of FINA since.<\/p>\n<p>From 2001-2007, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imshof.org\/_files\/ugd\/bd1926_8fc5e71f250340049a33b0eef851a9df.pdf\">Ronnie Man Chiu Wong, BBS, JP<\/a> helped lead 10 km FINA World Cup races in Hong Kong and Shantou to prove the model within FINA before the 2008 Beijing Olympics.<\/p>\n<p>In 2005, the IOC decided to add the 10 km to the Olympic program and has been an integral part of the Olympics since.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Key Olympic Moments<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The inclusion of marathon swimming in the Olympics is not guaranteed forever. It needs to be compelling and reflect well on the Games. In the first five Games, the venues have been different and interesting: 2008 Beijing in the rowing basin; 2012 Serpentine lake, in the center of London; 2016 Rio on the beach; 2020 Tokyo in the ocean bay; 2024 Paris in the River Seine, with severe and challenging currents which made compelling viewing.<\/p>\n<p>It is worth noting that there were no scandals during these events and the swimmers were generally 5-15 years older than the pool swimmers.<\/p>\n<p>Each Olympics generates compelling personal stories, but 2008 led with three. Gold medalist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imshof.org\/_files\/ugd\/bd1926_881a17dddb2c4238bd96c222b2996d2b.pdf\">Maarten van der Weijden<\/a> (Netherlands) survived leukemia. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imshof.org\/_files\/ugd\/bd1926_f860f2c591da4d2997bdf52e4fcb7c02.pdf\">Angela Maurer<\/a> (Germany) was one of only two mothers in these Games. Natalie du Toit (South Africa) qualified and competed after undergoing a leg amputation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How Marathon Swimming Got Into World Aquatics and Later the Olympics Marathon swimming joined FINA (now World Aquatics) fully in 1991 and the Olympic Games in 2008. This journey took<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45502,"featured_media":617153,"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":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,11,10],"tags":[28513],"class_list":["post-642761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-open-water","category-world","tag-marathon-swimming"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - 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