- Leslie Hamilton, a 31-year-old marathon swimmer, achieved a remarkable feat by swimming 37 miles around Staten Island in the New York Harbor.
- This record-setting swim took Hamilton over 14 hours, as reported by WNBC-TV.
- Despite concerns about boat traffic, conflicting currents, tetanus, and even sharks, Hamilton successfully completed the challenging swim.
Are distance swimmers insanely competitive or just a bit insane?
That’s the question New Yorkers ponder when they learn about Leslie Hamilton, a marathon swimmer who voluntarily embarked on a 37-mile swim around Staten Island in the New York Harbor.
“People assumed I must have superhuman abilities. But I was completely fine. I didn’t feel sick after the swim,” said Hamilton, 31, in an interview with WNBC-TV. “I made sure to keep my tetanus shot up to date.”
The athlete has not yet responded to Insider’s request for comment.
Hamilton made history on July 9 with her late-night swim, becoming the first woman to officially document a circumnavigation of Staten Island, as reported by WNBC.
Prior to her 14.5-hour swim, Hamilton expressed concerns about the unpredictable currents and boat traffic she would encounter.
“For a brief moment, I considered the possibility of encountering sharks,” Hamilton confided to WNBC, acknowledging that achieving the swim seemed uncertain to her and her fiancé.
Hamilton’s fiancé, Yan Fu, typically guides boats alongside her during swims and recalled people’s disbelief when they learned about her ambitious endeavor.
“The nearby fishermen couldn’t believe it. They were like, ‘Is she crazy?! What is she doing?!'” Fu recounted to WNBC.
Hamilton underwent over a year of training with a local distance swimming group in preparation for this achievement.
“I had to limit myself to one swimsuit, one cap, and one pair of goggles,” Hamilton shared. “Every 30 minutes, I would consume carb powder mixed in my water bottle, and I also had rollups of ham.”
New York Harbor, once infamous for its pollution, has undergone extensive restoration and recovery efforts. According to the city’s Department of Environmental Protection, it is now cleaner than it has been in the past century.
However, swimming in the harbor is generally not recommended, as indicated by The New York Times.
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