By SUSAN LULGJURAJ Staff Writer, (609) 272-7187

Anyone who has ever met John Kenny knows one thing about him: He's got sand in his shoes.

Kenny has been stuck on the beach ever since he was a child and his family would vacation in Wildwood Crest. Sounds like the typical Pennsylvania child's summer, but one thing was different with the Horsham, Pa., native - he came back and never left.

Kenny, known for his numerous lifeguarding championships, joined the Atlantic City Beach Patrol in 1998 after Sid Cassidy recruited him to swim at the University of Miami. Cassidy's involvement in the Beach Patrol naturally led to Kenny joining the squad.

"I was going (to lifeguard) one way or another. Just a matter of which beach." Kenny said. "I have trouble relaxing. If I am going to be relaxing then I am going to be sleeping. It's difficult for me to go the beach and lay out and be lazy. I enjoy being a lifeguard than being just a guy on the beach."

His love for the ocean and swimming collide on Saturday when he competes in the 52nd Annual Atlantic City's Around the Island Marathon Swim. This is the fifth entry for Kenny, who finished second in 2002.

The trip around Absecon Island isn't for the casual swimmer. The best marathon swimmers in the world compete in the 37.5-kilometer (221/2-mile) event, which includes the current Federation Internationale de Natation point leader Petar Stoychev.

The race begins and ends in Atlantic City's Gardner's Basin. Nineteen swimmers (12 men, seven women) will participate, which is a decent number considering the race isn't part of the FINA World Cup Marathon Series as it has been in the past.

Kenny definitely fits the definition of a marathon swimmer. He's won the U.S.A. Open Water National Championship 25K this year, last year and in 1999. He won the 15K in 1999 and the 10K in 2000.

"The fact that I'm not confined by walls and lane line, that's one of the big things," said Kenny, who was also a top cross-country runner in high school. "My style is more conducive to longer distances. It eliminates the turns, gives longer straightaways and a chance for a better rhythm."

After winning titles on a bigger scope it's been difficult for swimmers on the local level to compete with him. Kenny won the half-mile ocean swim in the South Jersey Lifeguard Championships from 1998-2002.

"I would compete against him in the lifeguard races," Ross Thomas, 18, a Linwood resident, said. "The biggest thing when racing him is that he knows the water. He's done most of the races before. The main thing I'm worried about when swimming against him is swimming the smartest race I can, not so much the fastest."

Thomas also trains with Kenny when he practices with the Atlantic City Aquatic Club. Kenny, whose club team is Germantown Aquatic Club in Pennsylvania., trains in ACAC's facilities during the summer.

Kenny gives the swimmers at ACAC a look at a successful international competitor and someone who has kept his roots planted.

"He's definitely a really tough competitor," Thomas said. "Every time he gets in and trains with me it's a very intense practice. He's very competitive and so am I. We always go at it."

Kenny, a civil engineer in Wildwood, is hoping he can break into the top five in Saturday's swim after finishing in eighth last year. It's a difficult accomplishment especially with the elements the swimmers have to deal with - weather, tides, fatigue - and nonstop swimming for more than 61/2 hours.

"It's a great course. It's about as varied as a course gets," said Kenny, who was a co-captain on Cornell University's swim team. "You have the ocean length that can get very windy, the flat water bay to swim in. It's very tidal and current oriented. All those things add to make a great race. In the back bay when you're looking for a big push there are a lot of spectators out. It's good knowing you're not by yourself."

Kenny missed a year and a half of swimming after the Around the Island swim in 2002. Citing an injury, he rested and only worked out to stay in shape. But the spirit of competition gnawed at Kenny and he got back in ocean.

"That's really the reason I got back into it. I can't stand, 'What are you training for if you not racing?' " he said. "My goal is to train to compete. To be the best I can be."

To e-mail Susan Lulgjuraj at The Press:

SLulgjuraj@pressofac.com