Friday, April 8, 2005,10:01 am Eastern Time
CLEARWATER, FL--Another world-class field of marathon swimming stars will assemble for the Tampa Bay Marathon Swim on Saturday, April 16. The 24 mile swim race starts at 7:30am from the Sunshine Skyway at the Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort (800 227 8045) and ends at Ben T. Davis Beach on the Courtney Campbell Causeway. The race course covers the entire length of Tampa Bay and is held each year to celebrate Earth Day and the revitalization of Florida's largest estuary.
Since this event was first staged in 1998, it has drawn competitors from across the United States, Great Britain, Dominican Republic, Guatamala, Germany, India, Canada, and the Cayman Islands. A record fifty-seven participants have entered this year's event, either as soloists or as relay swimmers. Here are the twenty individual swimmers and the ten relay teams that will compete for honors:
SOLO SWIMMERS - MEN
| Jason Pipoly, 33, of Nashville, TN was only 4 miles away from becoming the youngest person to swim the English Channel on a rough and windy day in 1982. In February 1998 while driving near Aspen, Colorado, he slid off the road, hit a tree and became a paraplegic. Almost 20 years after his first attempt, he became the second paraplegic in the world to swim the English Channel. The swim took 13 hours and 48 minutes beating his dad's time by almost 1 1/2 hours. In 2003, he became the first paraplegic to swim from Los Angeles to Catalina Island in a swim that took 18 hours. |
| Marcos Diaz, 30, of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic is his country's national open water swimming champion. He is entering the Tampa Bay event for the third time after finishing third in 2002, and second in 2004. He placed seventh in the 28 mile Manhattan Island Marathon Swim in 2004, then went on to swim the English Channel in 9 hours, 56 minutes. |
| Dave Parcells, 47, of Madison, Connecticut is returning for his 7th consecutive Tampa Bay Marathon Swim. His highest place was in 2003 when he was overall champion with a time of 10 hours, 24 minutes. In 2002, he became the oldest person ever to successfully complete a double crossing of the English Channel (21 hours, 30 minutes). Known as the "King of Tampa Bay" for completing the most swims of Tampa Bay, he is also the race director for the 25km Swim Across Long Island Sound. |
| Jose Serra, 31, of Guatemala City, Guatemala was a national champion in several events dating back to 1984. In 2001, he placed fourth at the 28 Mile Manhattan Island Marathon Swim. In 2002, he swam the English Channel in 10 hours, 46 minutes and is planning a two-way attempt in 2005. |
| Mark Monticino, 41, of San Diego, CA began swimming in Miami, Florida before settling in San Diego after a stint in the Navy. In 2003, he became the 101st person to swim the 21 Mile Catalina Channel finishing in 10 hours, 11 minutes. He as completed 2 Alcatraz swims (1.5 mile), and 5 La Jolla Cove Gator Man Swims (3 miles). He represents the La Jolla Cove Swim Club. |
| Forrest Nelson, 39, of Los Angeles, CA trains at the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center in Pasadena, California. He regularly competes in long distance ocean events in Maui, Santa Barbara, La Jolla, and is returning to the Tampa Bay Marathon Swim for his first solo attempt. In 2004, he was a member of the winning Tampa Bay relay with Craig Taylor & Bill Ireland. Last fall he swam the Catalina Channel in 10 hours, 35 minutes, and plans to swim the English Channel this summer. |
| Hal Clarendon, 59, of Gainesville, FL competes for the Gator Swim Club and is making his 6th attempt to complete the Tampa Bay Swim. His longest attempt was in 2003, when he swam for more than eleven hours. He is the publisher of ADVENTURE magazine. |
| Vince Herring, 62, of Rochester, MN is a top USMS age grouper and All-American in postal and open water events. He as completed the 12.5 mile Swim Around Key West twice (1997 & 2003). In 2001 he swam 40 lakes in one day, and attempted 100 lakes in one day in 2004 but got sick and dropped out after 5 hours and 28 lakes. He racked up incredible one month totals in the February Fitness Challenge with 421,000 yards in 2003 and 427,000 yards in 2005. He was also a member of a relay that did an English Channel double crossing in 2003. |
| Kevin Joubert, 32, of Towson, MD has been swimming competitively for five years. He has done the 4.4 Mile Chesapake Bay Swim 4 times. He has finished in the top ten in the Race for the River in New York City, and the Escape from Fort Delaware Swim. He coaches triathletes' swim classes and competes regularly in triathlons. |
| Joe Wolf, 37, of Denver, CO completed 24 marathon runs, then he ventured into the water in 2002 to compete in a few local triathlons before catching the marathon swimming bug. In 2004 he completed his first marathon swim in Tampa Bay in 12 hours, 15 minutes, then the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim in 8 hours, 17 minutes. He went on to make a 10 hour attempt on the English Channel. He has signed on for all 3 swims again this year. In August, 2003, at the 22.5 Mile Atlantic City Around the Island Swim, he was forced out by a referee "for a little puking." |
| Ross Reichard, 34, of Albequerque, NM is a Doctor of Pathology at the University of New Mexico in Albequerque. He swam as an age grouper with the Lakeside Seahawks (Louisville, KY), in college at Centre College (Danville, KY) and now with the Lobo Masters (Albuquerque, NM). He has completed the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim twice (2000 - 8 hours, 31 minutes) (2004 - 7 hours, 57 minutes). |
| Ray Gandy, 43, of Coventry, RI was nationally ranked as an age grouper, holding multiple West Virginia state records. He was a member of national record-breaking relay teams at NCAA Div II Clarion University of Pennsylvania. As a masters swimmer he has been named All-American and has 8 annual top-ten results to his credit. He has done open water swims in Newport, RI (1.7 miles), Lake Champlain, NY/VT (8 miles), and Long Island Sound (12 miles). |
| Greg Langsett, 52, of Ft. Lauderdale, FL is an open water swimming veteran. He has competed in national championships in 3.2 mile and 8.5 mile distances. In 1998, he was named USMS Long Distance All-American. |
| Jeff Magouirk, 43, of Westminister, CO has been training for two years after a 22 year lay off. He was a member of the last Colorado State University men's swim team (1979-80). He and training partner Joe Wolf swim on the Broomfield Breakers Masters team. In 2004 he swam the 10KM Wingshadow Horsetooth Swim and has done several 1.2 mile swims as a member of triathlon relay teams. He plans an assault on the English Channel in 2006. |
| Todd Landin, 29, of Boulder, CO was a sprinter in high school and college before turning into a triathlete in 1998. He did the Hawaiian Ironman in 2001, the Wingshadow Horsetooth 10K Swim in 2003, and attempted the English Channel in 2004. He plans another assault on the Channel in August 2005. |
| David Cameron, 29, of St. Louis Park, MN has been coaching masters and triathletes since 2000. He currently runs both the youth and Masters swim programs for the Minneapolis YWCA. He was a 15-time All-Conference Swimmer at Carleton in distance events. In 2004 he completed the English Channel finishing in 13 hours, 9 minutes. Recently, he had his head shaved by some of his swimmers. |
SOLO SWIMMERS - WOMEN
| Laura Collette, 40, of San Jose, CA is returning to Tampa Bay for the fourth year in a row and considers the event a celebration of her birthday. She has swum the English Channel, Lake Tahoe's width and length, the 9 mile Maui Channel, Santa Cruz to Monterey relay, Llyn Padarn, Wales, and has swum the 22 mile Loch Loman in Scotland. Recent quote: "Long distance swimming is a passion to be fully enjoyed, and then we eat. " |
| Flavia Zappa, 37, of Bradenton, FL swims for the St. Petersburg Masters Swim Team. She swam the 12.5 Mile Swim Around Key West in 2004 and competed in the United States Masters Swimming's 5K Postal Swim in 2003. |
| Leslie Thomas, 30, of San Francisco, CA calls herself, "A fitness swimmer who happens to have a soft spot for long swims." She completed Lake Zurich in 2000 and attempted the English Channel in 2003. She is an instructor for Total Immersion Swim Camps and coaches a women's triathlon team. She also runs, hikes, surfs, and snow skis. To find out more about Leslie, visit her on-line at www.Swim-Art.com. |
| Suzanne Dods, 44, of Larkspur, CA swam the width of Lake Tahoe in 1988 and the length in 1989. She completed the 12 mile Coronado Island Swim in 1996. She was a member of an English Channel relay team in 1992 and 1993, then swam the English Channel as a soloist in 2003. Her Tampa Bay swim will be a benefit for Seacology. Seacology is the world's premier nonprofit, nongovernmental organization with the sole and unique purpose of preserving the environments and cultures of islands throughout the globe. |
RELAY SWIMMERS
| Rip Tide are Brian Rimel, 38, Zach Pruitt, 30, and Tim Kennedy, 48, of St. Petersburg, Florida. They are top-ranked distance swimmers that compete for the St. Petersburg Masters Swim Team. In 1999, Kennedy completed the Tampa Bay Marathon Swim as a soloist in 10 hours, 42 minutes. |
| SoCal Kao lele II are Bill Ireland, 45, Kris Behrens, 30, Chris Yontz, 40, Suzy Nicoletti, 25, Patrick Dixon, 56 and Mac Montgomery, 56. They swim for Southern California Aquatics, and have done prior open water relays in Hawaii and La Jolla but never all together before Tampa Bay. Chris Yontz is one of the fastest open water swimmers in southern California. He has been a top 10 finisher in the Waikiki Roughwater Swim and has won USMS open water age group races at several different distances. Swimming as a soloist, he has won the La Jolla Roughwater, Coronado Roughwater, Seal Beach 1 mile swim and the Big Shoulders swim in Chicago. He hopes to do the English Channel in 5 years. Pat Dixon has been doing open water swims around the country for over 20 years, including the Maui Relay and the Waikiki Roughwater Swim 20 times each. Last summer Pat won the USMS National Championship 5KM in his age group, and his Maui Relay won the Grand Makule Division. Mac Montgomery is another long time open water and pool racer, and was on Pat's Grand Makule championship relay in 2004. Kris Behrens has done races from San Francisco to Hawaii, placing high in his age group, but usually slightly behind Suzy Nicoletti. Suzie is the youngest member of the team, has also raced in San Francisco and Hawaii, routinely winning her division and often being the overall female champion. Her Maui Relay team in 2004 was the overall mixed champion. Bill Ireland swam several races in 2004 including the Tampa Bay relay, the Hawaii races, the St. Croix 5 Mile Coral Reef Swim, and the Boston Light 8 Mile Swim where he was the overall winner.. |
| # 9 Relay Team are Mike Embry, 57, John Neukamm, 44, Albert Robinson, 61, David Kirkam, 50, Jim Zinner, 50, and Mandy Zipf, 39. They are from the Tampa Bay area and are swimming in their third consecutive Tampa Bay Marathon. This year they are entered as a mixed relay now that they have added triathlon sensation Mandy Zipf to their team. |
| Glory Days are G. J. LaBonty, 41, Ruth Cole, 38, John Thorp, 41, and Katy Hillard, 22. LaBonty and Cole are from Utah, while Thorp and Hillard are from the Ft. Myers, Florida area and swim for Swim Florida Masters. LaBonty swam at Temple University from 198 to 1985 and was on the North Wildwood Beach Patrol from 1983 to 1987. He has completed the Chesapeake Bay Swim and the Canadian Ironman Triathlon. John Thorp is returning to the water after a 20 year lay-off since his high school glory days on the swim team with G.J. LaBonty, hence the team name. Katy Hillard swam on YMCA, club and high school teams from 1988 to 2000 and is returning to swimming after a five year break. She says that, "This will be my first open water experience." |
| Tampa Bay Aquatic Club of Tampa, Florida is represented by Joe Solak, 39, Bart Cobb, 50, and Tom Rawls, 36. They are competing in their sixth consecutive Tampa Bay Marathon Swim as a three-person relay team. In 2003 and 2004, Cobb was a member of the #9 Relay Team. |
| Jill's Johns are Jill Moberg, 42, Jonathan Maier, 41, Gary Emich, 54, and Steve Hurwitz, 44. The three men are members of San Francico's South End Rowing Club, while Jill is a New Yorker who they met when she acted as their official observer for their relay in the Manahattan Island Marathon Swim. According to her teammates, "She didn't protest when our co-ed team decided to do the entire relay buck-ass naked, so we adoped her." Team members collectively have done relays across the Catalina Channel, the English Channel, the Strait of Gibraltar and the Boston Light swim. |
| Florida Goldcoast Masters are Scott Coleman, 50, Nicki Jones and Cori Graham. Coleman was inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 1998. He returns to Tampa Bay five years after swimming the 2000 as a soloist with a time of 12 hours, 41 minutes. He as completed Key West three times, Catalina, the Swim Across the Sound, Manhattan, and was the first male diabetic to swim the English Channel. |
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The Patricks are Patrick Spearing, 41 from New York, New York, and Patrick McLeroth, 33 from Baltimore, Maryland. As a relay, they have done the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim four times, and have competed in the Little Red Lighthouse Swim twice, the Great Hudson River swim, and the Flag Day Intrepid Swim in New York City. |
Complete information including all results and event history is available at www.DistanceMatters.com.
SOURCE: Distance Matters, Inc.
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www.DistanceMatters.com |
| Email the Event Director Ron Collins: collins@tampabay.rr.com |
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