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August 17, 2002 A.C. Marathon swim field, purse smaller, but distance stays the sameBy BILL LeCONEY Staff Writer, (609) 272-7187, E-MailATLANTIC CITY - It's not the same swim. Then again, maybe it's more like the old swim. The Atlantic City Around the Island Swim, which begins today at 9 a.m. at Gardner's Basin, has fewer swimmers, a smaller purse and less significance on the international open-water swim circuit than in recent years. But the premise is the same. Nine professional swimmers, two amateurs and seven relay teams will battle choppy ocean swells, jellyfish, seaweed, the warm-water back bays and the ripping tides of two inlets to circle Absecon Island in a grueling - and somehow, rewarding - test of endurance. "It just sounded like something fun to do," said Gail Rice of Florida, a 46-year-old mother of two who has already conquered the English Channel and the Manhattan Island swim. "I've always heard it's one of the most difficult races in the world. I guess I just like to be miserable." A race purse of $18,000 has been set for the swim, which is not on the FINA World Cup circuit, as it had been the last three years. Many of the world's top open-water competitors - including previous champions Stephane Lecat and David Meca, and perennial marathoner Claudio Plit of Argentina - are not in the field. There is still an international flavor to the event. Local lifeguard champion John Kenny of the Atlantic City Beach Patrol is the only American male in the field. Along with Kenny and Rice, the rest of the professional field includes Enrique Alvarado of Mexico, Andrian Bonomi of Argentina, Tim Conway of Canada, Igor Macjen of Slovenia (the third-place finisher here in 1999), Rafael Perez of Argentina, Shelley Clark of Canada and Yuko Matsuzaki of Japan. Cara Malandrano of Wildwood will make her second attempt to complete the swim as an amateur, along with American Nick Grossman. The Around the Island Swim began in 1953 as a $200 wager between two Atlantic City lifeguards. The race has grown beyond its local roots, attracting world-class swimmers while presenting some of the most unique and challenging conditions for long-distance, open-water swimming anywhere in the world. It begins with a seven-mile ocean trek through the potentially colder and rougher waters of the Atlantic. After a turn at the Longport jetty, it continues with a twisting 13-mile back-bay leg along the thoroughfares and channels behind Longport, Margate, Ventnor and Atlantic City. The lead swimmers could encounter an incoming tide at Absecon Inlet as they make the turn back toward Gardner's Basin. No other marathon offers such a diversity of swim conditions, from water temperature to tides, calm to choppy. It is also unique because the swimmers must stay behind lifeguard boats manned by helpful and encouraging trainers and rowers. The swim showcases the area's natural beauty and family atmosphere. Residents and visitors hold waterfront parties or flock to bridges, beaches or jetties to cheer on the brave and relentless competitors. The course record was set last year by Lecat of France, who swam the reverse route (back bays first) in 6 hours, 54 minutes. The traditional course record of six hours, 56 minutes, 43 seconds was set by Meca of Spain in 1999. The women's record was set by Australian Shelley Taylor-Smith in 1992, when she won the event for the second straight year in 7 hours, 51 seconds.
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