NEWS

Jaimie Monahan swims seven times round Manhattan in seven days

Marathon and ice swimmer Jaimie Monahan has added to her roster of incredible swims by swimming an unprecedented seven times around her home island of Manhattan in seven days. That’s 199 miles (321km) of swimming in seven swims in seven days!

Jaimie has now completed the 28.5 mile circumnavigation swim 21 times – including a record-breaking 20 hour 12 minute double circumnavigation in 2017.

“I love this swim – it is stunning and everchanging, just like New York City. Every loop is different,” says Jaimie. “Why? Because I wanted to challenge myself and feel strong again after feeling sad for too long in these times.”

Jaimie completed the final swim of the challenge in 8 hours 24 minutes on 23 August 2020, completing “a personal challenge” and adding “a new chapter to a 20 year love story”.

International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame inductee Jaimie’s other swimming achievements include being the first person to complete the Ice Sevens Challenge– an ice mile in Europe, Oceania, Asia, North America, Africa, South America and at any Polar location at 60º south or below or 70º north or above – with one of those ice miles being a Zero Ice Mile (a mile swim performed at below 1ºC).

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Jonathan is a year-round skins swimmer with a particular love of very cold water. He has competed in ice swimming competitions around the world. He is a qualified open water coach with a particular love of introducing new swimmers to the open water.