In 2008, after years of doing local open water swim competitions and triathlons, I made a commitment to take-on (and write about) adventurous, cold water marathon swims in far away places.

Here are my recent solo open water swimming credits: I was one of nineteen solo swimmers to successfully circle an Alaskan island in the summer of 2008 -- the 8.2 mile "Pennock Island Challenge," -- my Alaska essay can be read here: http://www.getfreeebooks.com/?p=1517 After that, I completed San Francisco's "Bridge to Bridge 10k Swim" twice (2009 & 2010). My longtime goal of finishing the historic "Boston Light Swim" was realized when I touched warm, very sweet L Street sand in 2010 (My 2009 unsuccessful Boston Light attempt resulted in my widely published essay/story/ebook, "North to the Boston Light" -- http://www.e-bookspace.com/node/74 ). In 2011, I was one of eleven marathon swimmers to finish the revival or the resurrection of the "Great Salt Lake Open Water Marathon Swim."...

In the same time period, I was a team member and team captain of two successful marathon swim relay teams; "All Night In," MIMS (Manhattan Island Marathon Swim), 2010 and the "Icebreakers," Boston Light, 2011.

My interest in doing distance events began in 1983 when I was living in Montauk, New York. My goal back then was just to finish the Mighty Montauk triathlon "standing." I surprised myself not only by finishing in fine fashion (standing up) but by not being "too far behind the middle of the pack." In the eighties and nineties, I managed to fit athletic competitions in with my career as a speech (public speaking) lecturer. I was under contract for ten years at Columbia University/Barnard College or NYU while working for CUNY. My notable distance events during that time were the New York City Marathon and the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim.

In 2002, my streak of completing 12 consecutive Brooklyn half-marathons ended due to a lower back herniated disc issue brought on by trying to fit a heavy exhaust system on my old and trusty 1986 Volvo 240. I followed doctor's orders and went back to the pool for rehabilitation by swimming lightly, but, before too long, I became a member of the Columbia University Masters team. I remember thinking that my rehabilitation was complete when I escaped from Alcatraz (my first cold water swim) in 2004!

In my view, a swimmer can experience real drama doing long, cold swims at sea not only because the environment can change in a heartbeat but a swimmer's mental and physical condition can also change in a flash, and, yes, new and different bodies of water create unique challenges for a swimmer. To be true, it's hard for me to think of some other sport or activity that could compare to cold open-water swimming. That said, my motto is: "Have swimsuit, goggles and GU (energy gel), will travel."

As for my work on dry land, I run my own British classic car book internet business and I'm still under contract with various colleges as a speech (public speaking) lecturer, and, again, I'm also writing short stories and poetry (mostly about swimming adventures) after a long break (I was a poet/writer and ocean lifeguard in my Montauk years). Here are a few short poems that are on open-water swim sites -- http://www.dailynewsofopenwaterswimming.com/2011/08/far-away-destinations-poem-by-john.html http://cibbows.blogspot.com/2009/09/somewhere-in-sky.html

Back to open-water and to sum up: yes, I've done a lot of events over the years but the past few seasons have been the most challenging and the most rewarding for me.. Presently, the stars appear to be perfectly aligned-- I am one of many NYC swimmers connecting with both NYC SWIM and CIBBOWS at a time when open-water swimming is getting a lot of attention -- one might call it an "Open Water Swimming Movement!" So, yes, it's great to be part of the NYC swimming scene, and, yes, it's great to be a part of the "Global Swimming Movement."... As for the future, I plan to seek swimming adventures at home and in far-away places next year and beyond...

"My travel book is open wide, ocean adventures are on the list, and, hey, the high seas will always wait for me."... ~ by me, jd..