Long Valley Woman to Swim Around Manhattan

Michael Phelps was recently crowned the most decorated Olympian in the Games’ history. That’s pretty impressive.

But can he swim around the island of Manhattan? Better yet, would he even think to try?

Susan Kirk, a Long Valley resident of 13 years won’t be thinking about Phelps or the Olympics on Saturday though. She and three teammates will take part in the annual Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, an international event that has teams slice through 28.5 miles of water surrounding the city.

Kirk, the chairperson for the New Jersey Masters Swimming organization, has been swimming competitively for the past 23 years, and looks to compete in any distance event available.

Self-titled as The Jersey Girls, the team consists of Kirk, Sarah Clark of Bedminster, Lynn Ascione of Ramsey, and Mary Guilfoyle of Pittstown. All of the members have swam in open water events individually before, but this will be their first as a team.

Saturday’s challenge will bring the swimmers through the East, Harlem and Hudson Rivers, as teams circumnavigate the metropolis island.

“We’re really excited for (the swim),” Kirk said. “We’ve been training for about a year for this specific event and can’t wait.”

Before the swimming challenge can hit the water, it’s almost just as hard to get into the event itself, Kirk said. Known as one of three events in the “triple crown” of marathon swimming courses, the Manhattan Relay–along with the Catalina Channel and English Channel swims–is “like trying to get concert tickets before anyone else,” Kirk said.

The field of participants is limited, and teams must be accepted in advance. The Jersey Girls were required to write an essay for the competition, and needed to register before the field was filled to capacity.

Kirk, who will be swimming the first leg of the event out of South Cove in Battery Park, only has a few concerns about the swim, but is more excited than anything, she said.

“I’ll be swimming against the current to start,” Kirk said. “And, obviously, we’ll be in the water for a long time. You don’t know how bad the jelly fish are going to be before you get out there, so that’s a concern. Otherwise, I’m just so excited–we all are. We can’t wait.”

Not Just For Fun

There’s a reason behind the swim, other than the challenge, however.

The team is seeking and accepting donations for two causes; National Lung Cancer Partnership and Swim Free, an organization dedicated to improving the health of kids and adults through swimming.

Clark’s mother has been battling lung cancer, Kirk said, and the team will swim to honor her.

Donations can be applied here. 

Kirk is scheduled to hit the water at 9:05 a.m. Saturday. She said the team’s goal is to finish the marathon in less than 9 hours.

Clearly the biggest feat of each of the team member’s careers, Kirk sees it as a potential stepping stone for other marathon courses, like the aforementioned English and Catalina Channel swims.

That’s not on The Jersey Girls’ minds at the moment, though.

Hoping Saturday’s event goes swimmingly is.