Long Valley Woman Attempting To Swim Around Manhattan

LONG VALLEY, NJ — Drive over the George Washington Bridge into Manhattan on Saturday, and you're likely to see plenty of things in the water: boats, kayakers, ferries. You might also see a Long Valley woman swimming, in an attempt to circumnavigate the island.

Susan Kirk, 58, of Long Valley, will be attempting to swim around the entirety of Manhattan as part of the "20 Bridges" event, organized by New York Open Water.

"This will be my longest solo swim to date both in distance and time. So it will be a challenge for sure! Especially with the hot ambient air temps in the afternoon. Will need to focus on staying hydrated throughout the swim," she told Patch, saying she's "excited and a bit nervous."

Twenty swimmers from around the world will attempt the 28.5-mile swim through the Hudson, Harlem and East Rivers. Kirk is the only New Jersey swimmer participating in this swim; there are four scheduled for 2018.

The event takes its name from the number of bridges swimmers will pass under (for those wondering, you can see a full list of all the bridges below).

Kirk is no stranger to open-water swimming. An avid water-sport lover, Kirk began open-water swimming about 20 years ago along the Jersey coastline, before expanding her swims to longer distances. She has completed a seven-mile swim around Lido Key, Florida, twice, a 10-mile swim in Tennessee four different times, and a swim around Bermuda twice, but this will be her longest swim to date.

Kirk will be swimming most of the race freestyle, but will swim backstroke under the bridges, as is tradition for open-water swimmers.

"It is truly a unique perspective from the water to see the underside of these iconic and very cool bridges!" she said.

She has previously swam part-way around Manhattan as part of a four-woman relay team, but this is Kirk's first time attempting the entire swim alone.

After this, Kirk has several "fun swims" planned, she said, including a swim from the Verrazano Bridge to Sandy Hook, a swim in Seneca Lake, and an annual celebratory swim at the Barbados Open Water Festival to mark the end of open water swimming season in November.

Curious what bridges the swimmers will go under? Here's a full list:

1. George Washington Bridge
2. Spuyten Duyvil Bridge
3. Henry Hudson Bridge
4. Broadway Bridge
5. University Heights Bridge
6. Washington Bridge
7. Alexander Hamilton Bridge
8. High Bridge
9. 18 Macombs Dam Bridge
10. 145th Street Bridge
11. Madison Avenue Bridge
12. Park Avenue Bridge
13. Third Avenue Bridge
14. Willis Avenue Bridge
15. Triborough Bridge
16. Wards Island Bridge
17. Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge
18. Williamsburg Bridge
19. Manhattan Bridge
20. Brooklyn Bridge

Image via Susan Kirk, used with permission