Let's talk swimming

Diana Nyad is pulled from the water after numerous jelly fish stings, sharks, and storms cut short her quest for a Cuba to Florida open water crossing. This woman is 62 ( she will be 63 on Wednesday) and this was her third attempt in less than a year at this unassisted swim. (As you may or may not know I am obsessed with open water endurance). She still holds the record for an unassisted swim from the Bahamas to Florida of 102 miles. You go girl!!
Here's a link to a news video: http://news.yahoo.com/video#video=30340672

She is one tough lady :shock:

Although I can apprecate her courage, it sounds a little sadomasochistic to me. :?:
The obvious question would be....why? :?:

Joe

killdeer43 said:

Although I can appreciate her courage, it sounds a little sadomasochistic to me. :?:
The obvious question would be....why? :?: Joe

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Joe not unlike your passion for photography, she has a passion for long distance swimming. It's what she does.
But don't fret, I'm with you; it's nuts. :shock:

No point in telling Joe not to fret.. he makes it a part of his day
Sometimes he goes away by himself to fret, other times he'll fret right in front of others... I've even been known to fret right along with him.
:wink: Steffan

On Aug 19, a 14-year-old swam across Lake Ontario.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/art...g-donations-kept-swimmer-annaleise-carr-going

killdeer43 said:

Although I can apprecate her courage, it sounds a little sadomasochistic to me. :?:
The obvious question would be....why? :?:

Joe

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I couldn't agree more Joe. Having ambition and drive is good. When it becomes an obsession and self-harming is when it clicks over into the "nutcase" category in my opinion. I guess we all express our insanity in different ways.... :roll:

killdeer43 said:

The obvious question would be....why? :?:

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Because she can? Because it's what she does simply to prove something to herself which most of us wouldn't go to such lengths to prove?
Seriously, questions of possible neurotic obsession aside, it does point out just how amazingly versatile and tough a human being can be. To me it explains how we've managed to survive and spread over the planet across what were seen as impassable barriers and life threatening conditions. (I refuse to speculate on the obvious question of whether or not that was neccessarily a good thing for the planet. :wink: )
When I saw that newsbit yesterday, I thought of the how much excitement attended the first swimmimng of the English Channel, and the old hypotheses about how the Bering Straits, which are about the same distance, were crossed. Tradition says "Land Bridge", but now I'm thinking "Who says they even needed to wait for a land bridge? Heck, skin kayaks or mere logs would have been child's play and who knows but that some show-offs really might have simply swum for it?
Here's something else that just hit me: Women would actually genetically be better equipped for such feats than men: they normally carry more body fat, so would float better and be better insulated, and have better endurance as opposed to total short burst strength.
8)

Ross said:

On Aug 19, a 14-year-old swam across Lake Ontario.
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/art...g-donations-kept-swimmer-annaleise-carr-going

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Great story Ross, thanks. 8)

Her Lake Ontario swim was 105 miles approximately and she did it in 27 hours. I couldn't even stay awake that long! Tough kid.