bette davis may have said it best: "getting old isn't for sissies."
but 64-year-old endurance swimmer diana nyad proved on monday that time needn't stop the determined among older ones either, as she became the first person to swim the 110-mile, shark- and jellyfish-infested straits between cuba and key west without a shark cage. she did it in 52 hours, 54 minutes. it was her fifth attempt after failing four times over the past 35 years.
the more i think about that, the more impressed i am: two full days and nights (which means swimming in black water for 8 hours each night with only search lights from the team boat to guide her), no sleep, liquid food through a straw, salty seawater trapped in her face mask making breathing hard, and an awareness that sharks like to attack fish (or swimmers who look like fish) above them.
so if you're feeling blue about turning gray, or simply weary as you eye an upcoming doubleheader, i thought you'd like to see a few paragraphs from the ny times story below.
(btw, there's an obscure baseball connection here, too: former cubs' and giants' manager dusty baker used to suggest to nervous players that they can calm themselves when they go to hit or field by humming their favorite tunes to themselves. the connection to nyad? see the last line below.)
-mike
MIAMI - "I have three messages," said Ms. Nyad, her face scorched and puffy from so many hours in the salt water, as she leaned on her best friend. "One is we should never, ever give up. Two is you never are too old to chase your dreams. Three is it looks like a solitary sport but it takes a team."
After two nights and two days of being buffeted by ocean waves, she walked on to Smathers Beach on Monday at 1:20 p.m. to the cheers of onlookers and her 35-member support team. Her team had kept a close watch on Ms. Nyad from five boats that trailed her during the swim. Millions more exhilarated in her age-defying feat from afar, on Twitter and Facebook, viewing it with inspiration and pride, including President Obama who sent her a congratulatory note.
This was Nyad's fifth attempt to swim the straits over the past 35 years. After each try, Nyad, often swollen and cut from jellyfish stings, vowed it would be her last attempt. But she could not help herself. The swim across the Straits was her personal quest.
But this year sharks steered clear, the swift current carried her along and storms took the Labor Day weekend off. Even the box jellyfish cooperated, although she was well prepared for their challenge. She wore a jelly protection suit and a mask to protect her face from their poison. Her body was coated with sting stopper gel to serve as a barrier from the venom. When she encountered box jellyfish near Key West, Ms. Nyads divers swam ahead of her this year to disperse them.
To stay focused, Ms. Nyad did what she always does: she hummed her favorite songs in her head. Her strokes were calibrated to the cadence of the Beatles "Ticket to Ride" and "Paperback Writer" to name two.
-- Edited by mikehart on Monday 2nd of September 2013 06:56:58 PM
