Michael Jennings, a two-time English Channel swimmer and former Channel Swimming Association member, knows what devotion and support for his fellow swimmers. He observed 70 channel attempts in the 1960s, of which "only about 20 of which were successful." He explains, "It wasn't then like it is now with some 250 attempts this year."
One of the top British swimmers in his day, he has written a 311-page book, Believe It...or not!, that has already sold over 1,500 copies which he has donated 100% of the proceeds (£16,000) to charity.
Michael wrote his book to celebrate the Golden (50th) Anniversary of his first English Channel swim (France-to-England in 1960 in 13:31) - a milestone few have reached, and to support The EllenorLions Hospices. "The EllenorLions Hospices should profit by more than £6 per book sold. 72 years of lifetime experiences have gone into the book."
And 100% of the proceeds goes to helping others - just as Michael did on all those channel attempts as an Observer for the Channel Swimming Association.
Note: Besides his first France-to-England swim, he also completed an England-to-France swim in 1966 in 12:59. And he still swims, getting second in the over-70 age-group at the 4.7-mile Hellespont Race in Turkey where he was narrowly beaten by Australian Olympic hero Murray Rose.
Why hundreds of thousands around the world were going for a little dip in the ocean on New Year's Day - basically running in quickly, splashing about and then enjoying the experience and the many after stories with friends and family after seconds or minutes in the water - Rob was doing a legitimate 4-hour, against-the-current, lumpy-and-bumpy 10K marathon swim in 53°F (12°C) water off the central coast of California.
By the looks of the photos of Rob, it was a one-man affair with the ocean.
But Rob was not the only man with Mother Nature on this swim: he not only had an experienced team of observers and fellow open water swimmers with him, he also had LiveSwim.net film, broadcast and archive the entire swim - a technological marvel available to any other swimmer or open water event
He brought significant global attention to the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations that supported his swims from Papua New Guinea (Oceania) to Indonesia (Asia) (20K in 4:18), from Yemen (Asia) to Djibouti (Africa) (18.6K in 4:55), from Spain (Europe) to Morocco (Africa) (22K in 2:41) and from Alaska (North America) to Big Diomede Island, Russia (Asia) (5K in 1:05).
Besides Marcos, the 12 nominees for the award stood out among their peers for their accomplishments, histories and lifestyles. The men (1) embody the spirit of open water swimming, (2) possess the sense of adventure, tenacity and perseverance that open water swimmers are known for, and (3) most positively influenced the world of open water swimming in 2010.
The North (Irish) Channel is renowned for being the toughest channel swim in the world - cold, rough, filled with jellyfish and fraught with unpredictable weather. But it was site to the tenacious efforts of one Irish women who never quit until she reached the other side.
Anne Marie Ward, an unlikely endurance heroine, joined one of the most elite and exclusive marathon clubs in the world - the 11 members of the North (Irish) Channel club. Her never-say-never 18 hour 59 minute effort - on her fourth attempt - courageously ended in darkness at 3:35 am.
With both the English Channel and North Channel under her belt, Anne Marie completely reversed her previously unhealthful lifestyle - an inspirational story in itself - and is now one of the world's most accomplished cold-water channel swimmers. Starting humbly and simply with a 2-mile charity swim, Annemarie is now deservedly recognized by her peers and honored for reaching the pinnacle of her sport.
Kieran Fitzgerald recalls, "What a lot of people don't know about is about her first attempt in August where she swam for four hours in darkness in horrendous jellyfish conditions. She was swung with over two hundred stings and had to be hospitalized."
To jump back into the sea with that experience in mind takes a tremendously focused and dedicated athlete.
Among the millions of female open water swimmers around the world, the 12 nominees clearly stood out - their exploits, histories and lifestyles are all incredibly inspirational for they overcame failures, obstacles and disappointments at some point in their swimming careers. But they forged on, positively and courageously. As the award is meant to symbolize, the nominees (1) embodied the spirit of open water swimming, (2) possess the sense of adventure, tenacity and perseverance that open water swimmers are known for, and (3) most positively influenced the world of open water swimming in 2010.
The final results of the 2010 vote were as follows:
Congratulations to Tom Ball, Kurtis Baron, John Chung, Jim McConica, Jim Neitz and Mike Shaffer who overcame intense fog, cold water that got as low as 13°C (56°F), large ocean swells, tremendous chop for four straight days on end swimming among gigantic pods of playful dolphin and flesh-eating fish.
For their physical effort and logistical planning in organizing an escort flotilla, including the 135-foot mother ship, that safely guided them in the open ocean, the six men were recognized by their peers in the open water swimming community.
With the growing popularity of open water swimming, there were hundreds of outstanding performances by open water swimmers around the world during 2010 - the 21 nominees for the 2010 World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year are merely a small representatives of all the heroes and heroines out in the open water water. But the efforts of the 21 nominees stood out for their uniqueness, heroism and sustained difficulty or commitment.
The nominees are all very special individuals who were honored because they (1) embody the spirit of open water swimming, (2) possess the sense of adventure, tenacity and perseverance that open water swimmers are known for, and (3) demonstrated some of the most impressive open water swimming performances of the year.
Michael Jennings, a two-time English Channel swimmer and former Channel Swimming Association member, knows what devotion and support for his fellow swimmers. He observed 70 channel attempts in the 1960s, of which "only about 20 of which were successful." He explains, "It wasn't then like it is now with some 250 attempts this year."
