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MARATHON SWIMMER SMASHES WORLD RECORD FOR
22 MILE SWIM FROM NYC TO SANDY HOOK
-- Australian Swimmer Honors Women Sports Pioneer Gertrude Ederle -NEW YORK CITY – July 22, 2006 – Tammy van Wisse, renown Australian marathon swimmer
and holder of 11 Australian and world records, added another world record to her resume Friday
when she smashed the 81-year old record held by legendary female athlete Gertrude Ederle. Van
Wisse’s new record of 5 hours, 6 minutes and 48 seconds from Battery Park, NYC to Sandy
Hook, NJ eclipsed Ederle’s record, which was set June 15, 1925, by 2 hours and 5 minutes. One
of the reasons van Wisse selected this particular swim was because Gertrude Ederle was her
childhood inspiration and hero.
“Although I have swum more than one and a half times around the world, these 22 miles have
been some of the most meaningful,” said van Wisse. “Meeting the Ederle family and getting to
know them helped me to swim with the spirit of Gertrude. She was a pioneer for women, a
barrier-breaker for all athletes and a timeless inspiration.”
Van Wisse retraced a course that Ederle swam 81-years ago as part of her training to cross the
English Channel. This particular swim to Sandy Hook stands apart because it combines speed and
endurance, requiring swimmers to maintain a fast pace over a long period of time in order to take
advantage of favorable currents and tide conditions.
Van Wisse launched from Battery Park’s Gangway 1 at 7:21 a.m. Friday, and within 2 hours and
20 minutes, passed Coney Island and entered the Atlantic Ocean. Her swift pace of 3.2 mph
triggered the crew’s anticipation at the halfway point that van Wisse could possibly break
Ederle’s longstanding record.
The marathon swim took van Wisse past the Statue of Liberty, Governor’s Island, Red Hook
Brooklyn, the Verrazano Bridge and beyond Coney Island. From there, she entered the open
Atlantic Ocean for the final push toward Sandy Hook, where the lighthouse stood as a guiding
beacon. Several hundred beachgoers cheered as she finished the grueling swim.
Van Wisse’s objective for swimming to Sandy Hook was to honor the American swimming icon
and legend. She hopes a new generation of women and girls will remember Ederle’s legacy of
courage and determination and continue to advance women’s involvement in athletics.
In her landmark 35-mile swim, Ederle not only crossed the English Channel – which only five
men had done – but she smashed the standing world record by two hours. She silenced all
skeptics who declared female athletes were inferior to their male counterparts.
“This swim is significant to me for several reasons,” said van Wisse. “Gertrude Ederle was a
woman I admired for her ‘never say die’ attitude and amazing perseverance. Her swims meant
more than just records. She advanced the acceptance of women in sports, and she did it at a time
when women were discouraged from participating.”
“People said women couldn’t swim the Channel, but I proved they could,” Ederle said at the time.
Citing Ederle as their inspiration, more than 60,000 women earned American Red Cross
swimming certificates during the 1920s. Similarly, while van Wisse loves the challenge of
breaking a world record, her goal was to inspire and motivate girls to tap their inner strength.
The swim was sponsored by Melaleuca: The Wellness Company, which manufactures The
Access Bar, a patented fat conversion bar that helps the body use stored fat as a natural source of
energy. Ever since tackling the English Channel more than 10 years ago, van Wisse has taken The
Access Bar as part of her training and nutrition regiment.
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