July 25, 2004

German 1st female to finish A.C. swim

By MICHAEL McGARRY Staff Writer, (609) 272-7185, E-Mail

ATLANTIC CITY - Angela Maurer did not enjoy the last hour of the Around the Island Marathon Swim on Saturday.

Her arms ached. Her shoulders hurt. She was cold.

"I think this is the toughest race in the world," she said. "Now, I'm just happy I finished."

Maurer can also be happy with her result.

The German was the first female to finish completing the 221/2-mile course around Absecon Island in 7 hours, 41 seconds. Britta Kamrau of Germany was the second female in 7:01:20.

The win was Maurer's first in Atlantic City. She finished second in the 2003 and 2000 Around the Island Swims.

The 28-year-old said thoughts of a victory kept her motivated when the race got tough.

"If I can win this race," she said, "I won't realize my pain."

The Around the Island swim is part of the 2004 FINA World Cup Marathon Swim series. FINA governs worldwide swimming.

Maurer's victory moves her to the top of the FINA female marathon swimming ranking. Maurer also won a 10-kilometer race in United Arab Emirates earlier this year.

Although she said she was happy, Maurer seemed more tired than anything after the race.

"The race is so hard," she said. "I can't explain it. The water was rough. There were changes in the current."

Will she be back next year?

"Maybe" she said with a weary smile.

To e-mail Michael McGarry at The Press:

MMcGarry@pressofac.com