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Left to right: Tobey Saracino, Rondi Davies, John Humenik and David Barra jump off the "Launch 5".   Photo courtesy of Greg Torteus
8 Bridges, 7 Days: Marathon Hudson River Swim

REGIONAL – The 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim has been completed. It was a most successful event, however it was almost 10 years from the idea, originally conceived by 46-year old Kerhonkson resident and business co-owner, David Barra of Barra & Trumbore Stone Fabricators, to the actual event that began July 8 and was completed July 14.

Barra explained that "the seeds for the swim were planted" while working on a West Camp house on the Hudson. He noticed he could see the Rip Van Winkle Bridge to the north and the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge to the south.

"I invented the swim, but couldn't have pulled off the organization of it without [Australian-born marathon runner and swimmer] Rondi Davies' encouragement, dedication, and organizational skills," said Barra. "I had mentioned the idea to lots of people, and though lots of people thought it was a great idea, no one else could really commit to assist in organizing the project until Davies offered last year."

Making it Happen
Funding of $20,000 was needed to make this event occur and Barra said each swimmer paid entry fees that, mostly, covered the expenses. These fees, along with his personal guarantee to cover any short falls was part of his agreement with the Coney Island Brighton Beach Open Water Swimmers (CIBBOWS) who he enlisted to co-sponsor the event and secure the insurance, as well as procuring the USA Master Swimmer's open-water marathon swimming sanction.

Barra also secured Coast Guard permits and hired a support staff of kayakers, a 52-foot mother ship (the Launch 5), two zodiacs (inflatable boats), and New York State Bridge Authority cooperation to help with ground transport. Volunteers for each swimmer were needed; each having a personal kayaker to provide "feedings" of liquids blended with high-caloric, electrolyte-enriched cocktails as well as bananas or nuts.

The Schedule
The swim went from July 8 through July 14 commencing from the Rip Van Winkle Bridge to the Kingston Rhinecliff Bridge; from there to the Mid-Hudson Bridge on July 9; The Mid-Hudson Bridge to the Newburgh/Beacon (Hamilton Fish) Bridge on July 10; from there to the Bear Mountain Bridge on July 11; The Bear Mountain Bridge to the Tappan Zee Bridge on July 12; from there to the George Washington on July 13; and the George Washington to the Verrazano Bridge for the finale on July 14.

Barra — a Veteran Event Swimmer
Barra's personal swimming saga started at age 5 when his mother taught him how to swim in the family pool. From then he swam competitively in high school. He made a point to mention he had always admired the Verrazano Bridge (he was reared in Brooklyn) and said, "I loved looking up from underneath it." Oddly enough that bridge was the final one in the 8 Bridge Hudson River Swim. He finished where his fascination began.

This seven day-eight bridges-120 mile swim was not Barra's first marathon or major accomplishment having already participated in a swim around Manhattan Island; The 8-Mile Boston Lighthouse Swim; the 9.75-mile Maui Channel; the 17.5-mile Ederle Swim; 21 miles at Catalina Island ; 24-miles in Tampa Bay; and the 21-mile English Channel.

But he found it more challenging.

Why? "The idea of swimming a marathon every day for a week was both intriguing and terrifying; all the other marathon swims I've done involved a single splash and then keep swimming until it's over. Pacing for a week straight was uncharted territory," answered Barra.

Happy Endings and Future Goals
What was once just a dream ended as a success according to Barra.

"We had perfect weather and predictable tides — along with experienced and professional support personnel. All of the participating swimmer's expectations were met or exceeded, and there is now huge pressure to do it again next year so other swimmers can experience the Hudson River," he said.

According to Barra, there are discussions about doing the event next year — "making it bigger and better."

"A lot of people are interested in participating, but since we didn't open registration early it was difficult for them to include it in their schedules this year," he said.

With the donation link open for another month, Barra said they're up to almost up to $15,000 with the monies divided between Riverkeeper; Launch No. 5; and Coney Island Brighton Beach Open Water Swimmers to support their enterprises and projects. For anyone wanting to swim in the Hudson, Barra recommends going to the Riverkeeper Web site at www.riverkeeper.org as Riverboat Captain John Liscomb monitors the Hudson daily for water quality.

"The Hudson is safe to swim in, but not everywhere all the time... and in some places, never. It is much improved over decades ago, but there is still a long way to go, and the only way to get there is for all the up-river communities to invest in modernizing their waste treatment facilities."

To learn more, volunteer, or contribute the 8 Bridges Event contact Barra at [email protected]. For a pictorial of the event go to Facebook and enter "8 Bridges Hudson River Swim" into Search.



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