Masters Swimmers Take on the NYC Pro Swim

Since the 1800s swimmers have enjoyed the water surrounding New York City. The first recorded competitive swim through the Harlem River was held in 1872. This year, U.S. Masters Swimming congratulates two of its members who got the chance to compete with some of the best open water swimmers in the world. On September 6th, Barton Wells and Heidi George battled it out in the water near Governor’s Island for 10K of stroking and kicking with the best in the world. The event is limited to only professional marathon swimmers and its prestige is noted; four of the six Olympic 10K marathon swimming medalists from the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games competed and multiple medalists from last summer’s World Championship also staked their claim in the pack. We are proud of swimmers like George and Wells for their commitment to training and racing at the highest level.

Though the swim was tough and described as a choppy experience, these U.S. Masters Swimming members were not intimidated. Each one entered the race with experience, confidence and strength in past performances at every competitive level.

George, of the Los Altos Mountain View Masters, who graced the usms.org homepage earlier this year, is no stranger to open water swimming. Her most recent notable accomplishment is her fantastic 7th place finish at last summer’s USA Swimming 10K World Championship Trials.

Wells, who is also a member of LAMVAC and an avid open water competitor, is accustomed to tough competition. Prior to the NYC Pro Swim, he participated in the FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cup on August 8, 2009. An alumnus of Stanford University, where he was a member of multiple National Championship teams, Wells has been nationally and world ranked in various swimming events throughout his career.

NYC Swim, owner and operator of the NYC Pro Swim 10K, was founded in 1973 and now hosts 10 events annually. For more information about this swim, results and future events visit nycproswim.com.