For Immediate Release

Meet the Competitors of Whiskey Joe's 12th Annual 24 Mile Tampa Bay Marathon Swim to be held on April 18th

CLEARWATER, FL-- Spectators are invited to be on hand on the afternoon and evening of April 18th, 2009 when Whiskey Joe's serves as the finish line for the Twelfth Annual 24 Mile Tampa Bay Marathon Swim. Fourty-eight swimmers will compete in this year's event, swimming as soloists or as part of a relay teams. The 24 mile ultra-distance race starts at 7:00am at the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and ends at Whiskey Joe's Bar & Grill on the Courtney Campbell Causeway in Tampa in a race that covers the entire length of Tampa Bay. The event is held each year to celebrate Earth Day and the revitalization of Florida's largest estuary and is the longest race that is sanctioned by United States Masters Swimming.

Here are the 11 solo swimmers, and the 11 relays that have entered the event:

SOLO SWIMMERS

John Muenzer, 47M, Elgin, IL
Rondi Davies, 38F, New York, NY
Michael Tschantz-Hahn, 41M, Chicago, IL
Ramses Rodriguez, 37M Port St. Lucie, FL
Gilles Chalandon, 52M, New York, NY
Giaconia Mauro, 37M, Palermo, Italy
Mike Embry, 61M, Tampa, FL
Yesenia Cabrera Fuegos, 36F, Guatemala City, Guatemala
LaurieJo Hall, 32F, Marietta, OH
Boris Fernandez, 35M, Key Biscayne, FL
Flavia Zappa, 42F, Bradenton, FL

RELAY TEAMS

DF3 - Polly Surhoff, 44F, Cockeysville, MD; Andy Cosgarea, 48M, Owings Mills, MD; Rob Long, 48M, Huntersville, NC

HARPS (Hopefully Approaching Retirement Pretty Soon) - Robert Aldrich, 60M, St. Petersburg, FL; Pat Marzulli, 60M, Indian Rocks Beach, FL; Cyle Sage, 44M, Tampa, FL; Carl Selles, 62M, St. Petersburg, FL

FIRST AMERICA BANK - Tim Kennedy, 52M, St. Petersburg, FL; Jeffrey Logsdon, 38M, Bradenton, FL; Keith Nelson, 44M, Treasure Island, FL

ALTERNATE IMMERSION - Terry Laughlin, 58M, New Paltz, NY; Rachel Golub, 32F, Astoria, NY; William Miller, 44M, Marlboro, NY

TAMPA BAY AQUATIC CLUB - Tom Rawls, 41M, Tampa, FL; Bart Cobb, 54M, Tampa, FL; Feff Feldman, 37M, Tampa, FL

PIRATE BOOTY NBAC - Lisa Rapuano, 43F, Towson, MD; Scott Breza 38M, Phoenix MD; Gil Mandel, 42M, Pikesville, MD; Tobi Limke, 34F, Lowell, MA; Suzanne Kirincic, 40F, Lutherville, MD; Wendy Quitasol, 46F, Towson, MD

TBD - Kathryn Kirmayer, 45F, Silver Spring, MD; Melissa Kirmayer, 42F, Seattle, WA; Laura Kirmayer, 39F, Sunnyside, NY; William Grant Johnston, 36M, Washington, DC; Matt McShane, 45M, Olney, MD; Tommy Kaufman, 28M, North Bethesda, MD

DOS CONQUISTADORES - Jonathan Farber, 42M, Brooklyn, NY; Cristian Vergara, 50M, Brooklyn, NY

TEAM AMERICA - Willy Blumenthals, 36M, North Bergen, NJ; Amy Wu, 33F, New York, NY

THE J SQUAD - Jana Rempalski, 26F, Austin, TX; Jen Baker, 32F, Falls Church, VA; Julie Oplinger, 32F, Arlington, VA

CONEY ISLAND WHITEFISH - David Barra, 44M, High Falls, NY; Patricia Sener, 45F, Brooklyn, NY

Since this event was first staged in 1998, it has drawn competitors from across the United States, Great Britain, Guatemala, Italy, Australia, Dominican Republic, Germany, India, Canada, and the Cayman Islands. The fastest competitors are expected to arrive at Whiskey Joe's starting at 3pm and the field will continue finishing until the sun sets at 8:30pm.

For directions & info about Whiskey Joe's Bar & Grill, go to www.WhiskeyJoesTampa.com.

For complete marathon swim race info, go to www.DistanceMatters.com.

SOURCE: Distance Matters, Inc.