Surrey Sports Park Member completes Ederle Swim in New York

18 September 2012

The legendary 17.5 mile long swimming challenge held in New York was overcome by Surrey Sports Park member Ellery McGowan on the 18th August.

17 solo swimmers and 5 relay teams entered the difficult race, which started on the southern tip of Manhattan and ended in Sandy Hook, New Jersey, which was named after American swimmer Gertrude Ederle, the first woman to cross the English Channel in 1926. Ederle swam in New York's waters as a part of her training, due to the difficult conditions of cold water, choppy seas due to the wind, strong tides and boat traffic.

Ellery McGowan managed to fight these terrifying factors and complete the race in a fantastic time of 6hours and 18minutes. Along with this amazing achievement, she also set new records for this race; being the oldest women to compete in the swim and the first Australian.

Well done Ellery!

Surrey Sports Park would love to hear from our members about their own challenges which we can share to inspire others get active! Whether you are taking on a triathlon or marathon, or training to climb a mountain or trek a desert- we want to hear from you! Drop us an email at media@surreysportspark.co.uk.