Lake Forest College / News / Foresters take it to the limit

Foresters take it to the limit

Diana Nyad ’73 spent two years training for her attempted world-record swim from Cuba to Florida and was held up several...
November 16, 2011

Diana Nyad’s ’73 iconic, long-distance swim feats are one colorful chapter in a Lake Forest College legacy of endurance athletes and coaches. We also profile ultramarathoner and cyclist David “Hector” Pendergast ’75, long-distance swim coach Joe Zemaitis ’02, Tour de France finisher and coach Robbie Ventura ’92, and Ironman racer Katie Snowden ’07.

By Mike Conklin

Diana Nyad ’73

Diana Nyad’s two attempts this summer to swim from Cuba to Key West, Fla., drew worldwide news coverage and held the real-time attention of thousands on her blog, Facebook, Twitter, and CNN.com. These were the first marathon swim attempts for the legendary athlete in over 30 years.

Though Nyad failed to finish the 103-mile swim, owing to an asthma attack and sore shoulder in her first try and multiple stings from box jellyfish in the second, her efforts were every bit as inspiring as her previous endurance feats. This time, she was more than 60 years old.

“You’re only as old as you feel,” Nyad posted on her blog. “This is an inspiration to me that I will continue to challenge myself and I hope you all will too!”

Gallery Image
Nyad addresses the media on the harbor wall in havana, Cuba, where she began her first world-record attempt to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage this year on August 7. Photo by Enrique de la Osa/Reuters.