Lilian Harrison of Argentina was inducted in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 1973. Lilian was the first person to swim 42K (26 miles) across the River Plate from Uruguay to Argentina in 1923 at the age of 20. In 1925, she won the 42K (26-mile) Seine River race that ended in Paris and attempted a valiant swim in the English Channel.  

Horacio Bernardo Guillermo Iglesias of Argentina was inducted in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 1968.  He was also honored by the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an Honor Open Water Swimmer and won the prestigious Olimpia de Oro (Golden Olimpia) in 1973 that is annually awarded to the most important sportsperson of the year in Argentina. Horacio, known as Dorado (for a great South American game fish), was the World Professional Marathon Swimming Federation world champion in 1967, 1969, 1971 and 1972. He was runner-up in 1968 and 1970. He won the 24-hour La Tuque relay swim six times with three different partners, including Egypt’s Abou Heif and Holland’s Judith DeNys. He also won the 34K (21-mile) Traversée internationale du Lac St-Jean professional race in Canada in 8 hours and 55 minutes in 1967, in 9 hours and 31 minutes in 1968, in 9 hours and 32 minutes in 1969, in 8 hours and 39 minutes in 1971 with a second in 1970, and excelled in the warm-water professional swims in South America. He won 37K (23-mile) Descente ou remontée du Saguenay in 6 hours and 3 minutes in 1967 and was fifth in 9 hours and 22 minutes in 1968. Horatio once famously told American sports magazine Sports Illustrated, "It is like a kind of drug, this swimming. It hurts, but you don't want to stop. Maybe it is pride. If the others stay, you stay." As he pointed to his head, he said, "You will find in every marathon swimmer something wrong up here."

Carlos Larriera of Argentina was inducted in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 1969.

Carlos won the professional 57K (36-mile) Santa Fe-Coronda river swim in Argentina in 8 hours in 1961 and in 11 hours and 38 minutes in 1962 and was fourth in 1963 and fifth in 1965. He was second in the 32K (20-mile) Traversée internationale du Lac St-Jean professional race in 9 hours and 53 minutes in 1960.

Gustavo Oriozabala of Argentina was inducted in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 2001.

Gustavo finished second overall on the professional marathon swimming circuit in 1992 and third in 1995. His swims include 42K (26-mile) Traversée internationale du Lac Memphrémagog in Canada in 1991, 1992 and 1993, 34K (21-mile) Traversée internationale du Lac St-Jean in Canada in 1992, 1993 and 1994, the 36K (22.5-mile) Around the Island Swim in Atlantic City, USA in 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1993, the professional 32K (20-mile) Maratona del Golfo – Capri Napoli in 1991, the 57K (36-mile) Santa Fe-Coronda river swim in Argentina in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1994, the 42K (26-mile) Ponza-Cierco swim in Italy in 1990 and 1991, the 28K (17.3-mile) Furth-Nurenberg swim in Germany in 1994, the 41K (25.4-mile) Cruce Bahia de Todos swim in Brazil in 1991, the 35K (21.7-mile) Silvan Lake swim in Canada in 1993, the 88K (54.6-mile) Hernandaras-Parana river swim in Argentina in 1993 and 1994, the 25K (15.5-mile) Holland swim in 1995, crossed the English Channel in 1993, the 41K (25-mile) Rio de Plata swim from Urugary to Argentina in 1993 in 27C (F) water, the 180K (112-mile) Parana Crossing in Argentina in 20:07, and a 47K (29.2-mile) double-crossing of the Strait of Gibraltar in 14 hours and 14 minutes.

He was the first men to cross 20K (12.4 miles) in Lake Titicaca from Peru to Bolivia in 12°C (53.6°F) in 5 hours and 6 minutes 1997. He swam 2K in 3°C (37.4°F) for 21 minutes to become the first person to compete the Beagle Crossing from Argentina to Chile. He also completed a triple-crossing of the Beagle Crossing in 7°C (44.6°F) in 1 hour and 9 minutes in 1998.

Claudio Plit of Argentina was inducted in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 1981.

Claudio has won major professional marathon races for over 30 years and was first or second nine times between 1974 and 1984 while finishing first, second or third in 45 professional marathon swims between 1874 and 1984. He has competed in the prestigious 34K (21-mile) Traversée internationale du Lac St-Jean in Canada over 25 times. He won the 64K (39.7-mile) double-crossing of the Traversée internationale du Lac St-Jean in Canada two times. He has won every major professional marathon race, some several times. A partial list of his victories include the 42K (26-mile) Traversée internationale du Lac Memphrémagog in Canada, the 36K (22.5-mile) Around the Island Marathon Swim in Atlantic City, USA, the 32K (20-mile) Maratona del Golfo – Capri Napoli, the 58K (36-mile) Santa Fe-Coronda race in Argentina, 29K (18-mile) Paspebiac swim in Canada, the 51.5K (32-mile) Lake Ontario swim in Canada, he 88K (54.6-mile) Hernandaras-Parana swim in Argentina, the 45K (28-mile) Saguenay River swim in Canada, the 24-hour Lac La Tuque relay in Canada, and the Suez Canal, Port Said and Nile River swims in Egypt.

He is the race director for the 38.6K (24-mile) Mar de Plata and Rosario Marathon Swims in Argentina, coaches and escorts swimmers participating on the professional circuit, and has participated as a guest presenter at FINA Open Water Swimming seminars.

Catalina Channel record holder Todd Robinson of San Diego (8:05 from Catalina-to-mainland) was the subject of a inspirational article in the winter issue of Competitor Magazine, a publication normally the exclusive domain of triathletes, cyclists and runners.

His focus and well-roundedness was abundantly clear in the article.

It outlined his fascinating life, including a childhood that required him to take three trains and a bike ride over a two-hour period to travel one-way to swim practice, and described his inherent toughness that is characterized by his career as a Assistant US Attorney General specializing in prosecuting gang and narcotic cases.

The modest, yet intense, attorney is undoubtedly a man of steel.

 Professional marathon swimmer Shelley Clark (see photo) who has competed at numerous world championships, World Cup and Grand Prix events, Olympic 10K Marathon Swimmer and the 2009 5K world champion Melissa Gorman, the extremely well-traveled Australian masters swimmer Graham Travers and the energetic Pacific Swims race organizer, with a deep well of South Pacific hospitality, Paul McCoy all explain about open water swimming here and what it means to them via a visually dynamic photo gallery presentation provided by the Sydney Morning Herald.

Penny Palfrey travels the world with her husband, tackling tough marathon swims while maintaining a healthy accounting business at home.

In 2009, Penny became the second person ever to swim the treacherous, shark-infested 70K Alenuihaha Channel from the Big Island of Hawaii to Maui. The gutsy 70K (43 miles) swim took 14 hours and 51 minutes where Penny was tossed about by occasional 6-meter (20-foot) ocean swells where her crew would lose sight of her. She quickly followed up that effort with a 14.5K (8.8-mile) swim across the Maui Channel, together with her husband, from Maui to Lanai, becoming the first women to achieve this feat. She next entered the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim where she placed finished first among women for the third year in a row in 7 hours 17 minutes. Later, she was thwarted in a reverse Manhattan Island swim where she attempted the risky swim against the currents for 28.5 miles around New York. She started off the year participating in the 120K triple-crossing of Lake Taupo, the biggest lake in New Zealand, finishing in 33 hours and 33 minutes with 5 teammates.  She also became the first person to swim 64K from Santa Barbara Island to the California mainland in 17 hours and 53 minutes.

For her adventurous spirit, her obvious athletic abilities, her fearlessness and willingness to traverse the world in search of marathon swimming feats, Penny is respected worldwide as one of today's best marathon swimmers, man or woman.

But in 2010, it is likely that Penny will make her mark on the history of open water swimming when she tackles the one of the world's most feared and as-yet-never-successfully-achieved major channel crossing – the 63 nautical miles (72.4 miles) Kaieiewaho Channel from Oahu to Kauai in Hawaii this coming April. Penny will escorted by pilot Don Jones and is planning a solo swim somewhere between 30-40 hours through gigantic ocean swells, tremendously powerful currents and extremely strong winds that can whip up literally a sea of whitecaps.

Besides its length and its dynamic elements, the Kaieiewaho Channel is over 10,000 feet (3,040 meters) deep. The channel is, simply put, a massive amount of water to cross.

In contrast, the the maximum depth of the 8.8-mile Auau Channel (between Lanai and Maui, the most popular channel to swim in Hawaii) is 108 feet (33 meters), the maximum depth of the 26-mile Kaiwi Channel (between Molokai and Oahu) is 2,300 feet (701 meters) and the 30-mile Alenuihaha Channel (between Hawaii and Maui) is 6,100 feet (1,900 meters).
will attempt to swim 63 nautical miles (72.4 miles) in the Kaieiewaho Channel from Oahu to Kauai in April.

Penny has certainly made her mark on the sport.  But, in April, she will make history. 

Colin Hill of Nova International has truly brought open water swimming to the masses.

Not only does Colin head up a team that has moved mountains to bring the world-class swimmers from around the world to compete in televised and heavily marketed one-mile races throughout Great Britain, but he also managed to attract thousands of newcomers to each of the four major open water swimming events put on by Nova International.

The Great North Swim, the Great London Swim, the Great East Swim and the Great Scottish Swim bundle great websites, great promotions, great courses and great fanfare to create fantastic competitions where none existed before. It is no wonder that up to 6,000 swimmers do these races under the television lights with their friends, family and co-workers. His drive to make open water swimming accessible and popular in Great Britain – for people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds – is an achievement powered by his energy and vision. In the build-up to the 2012 London Olympics and the power of the current crew of British swimmers, Colin’s timing could also not be better.

It is due to his innovative promotions for the sport and his entrepreneurial spirit – as well as a respectively fast 10 hour 30 minute crossing of the English Channel in 2009, Colin has positively and creatively cast his large shadow over the sport.