Relay Swim Team Circles Manhattan in 8 Hours

Rough Hudson River currents and scorching heat couldn’t stand in the way of The Jersey Girls, a four-woman relay team that successfully swam around the island of Manhattan on Sunday.

The relay,

Susan Kirk, of Long Valley, swam the first leg of the race, followed by Sarah Clarke of Bedminster; Lynn Ascione of Ramsey, who finished the race; and Mary Guilfoyle of Pittstown.

The team needed to maintain the rotation order throughout the event, Kirk said.

The team, self-titled The Jersey Girls, was accompanied by Pat Kerrigan of Mt. Arlington in a kayak, paddling alongside each swimmer throughout the race to keep them safe from various conditions.

This was the first event the team swam in as a group. All have competed in individual open water swims in the past.

“The swim was an amazing experience,” Kirk said in an email. “We had a blast training and swimming together as a relay. Our hard training kept us strong throughout the swim as we battled some really tough currents at the start and a washing machine mess all the way down the Hudson.”

The event is considered one of three major events within the triple crown of international swimming, Kirk said. Traversing the English and Catalina Channels are the other two.

Aside from personal triumph, the event was to help raise funds for two of the group’s favorite charities: SwimFree and National Lung Cancer Partnership. Through Monday, the team had raised more than $2,500.

Those interested in donating to the causes can find out more here. 

And was more than eight hours swimming around the City that Never Sleeps enough?

"We are absolutely inspired having successfully completed this swim," Kirk said. "We're already talking about future events, perhaps splitting into two relays and swimming around Manhattan again as 2 x 2 person relays."

Kirk said the English and Catalina Channel relay crossings will be amongst the group's upcoming discussions as well.

"But for now, we all need to get focused on our upcoming 10K solo swims in Lake George on August 25," Kirk said.

No rest for the weary, and no land needed for these Jersey Girls.