Barra Award for Overall Year

The Barra Award, named for David Barra, recognizes the most impressive year of marathon swimming, all considered. The Barra Award considers an individual’s full body of work in the sport, including swims, event organizing, community-building, leadership, and other contributions.

Finalists - Women

Caroline Block (Maryland, USA)

  • English Channel - 11 hours, 52 minutes on July 14 (sanctioned by CSA).
  • North Channel - 14 hours, 31 minutes on August 1 (sanctioned by ILDSA).
  • New record for shortest duration between English Channel and North Channel solo swims (19 days).
  • 20 Bridges Manhattan Swim - 8 hours, 48 minutes on October 1 (sanctioned by New York Open Water).
  • Participated in U.S. Winter Swimming championship - Hudson River, New York on January 30.
  • Participated in Lake Memphremagog Winter Swimming Festival, Vermont - March 5-6.
  • Started Tampa Bay Marathon Swim (swim called off due to weather).
  • Started Lake George Marathon Swim (swim called off due to weather).
  • Crew for 20 Bridges Manhattan swim.

Nominated by Anthony McCarley:

Caroline Block deserves nomination for swimming the English Channel, the North Channel and 20 Bridges this year. She now has the record for the shortest amount of time between swimming the EC and the NC – 19 days!

She also started two other big swims – Tampa Bay and Lake George – but was trumped by race director weather decisions.

Devon Clifford (New York, USA)

Nominated by Ed Riley:

  • NY, Winter Swimming, Hudson River, (34f) January 30, 2016 sprint distances
  • Vermont, Lake Memphremagog Winter Festival (31f) March 5-6, 2016 sprint distances
  • Arizona, SCAR, (57f +) April 26-29,2016 66.9K 41.7miles 23:23.06
  • Peru/Bolivia, Lake Titicaca (52f) May 7, 2016 7.0K 4.35miles 2:15.00
  • NY, 8 Bridges Odyssey (68f+) June 26 - July 3rd (+/-)189.9K 118 miles 45:00.01 (DNF short of finish stage 2 stage 5 conditions)
  • Vermont, Lake Memphremagog Border Buster July 30,2016 25.0K 15.53 miles 10:48.25
  • California, Don Burns Swim August 20, 2016 1.6K 1.00miles 23.37
  • California, Alcatraz Invitational September 10, 2016 2.04K 1.27miles 43:47
  • NY, Lake George Marathon Swim September 17,2016 >14.48K >9.0miles 5 hrs+ (DNF race called due to weather conditions)
  • South Carolina, Swim Around Charleston September 25 19.31K 12.0 miles 5:07.58
  • NY, 20 Bridges Manhattan Swim October 1, 2016 45.87K 28.5miles 8:03.10
  • Bermuda, Round the Sound October 8, 2016 7.25K 4.51miles 2:21.35
  • TOTAL: 379.35K, 235.86 miles, 107+ hours

Chloe McCardel (Victoria, Australia)

Eight English Channel crossings (new single-season record). Sanctioned by CSA and piloted by Reg Brickell on Viking Princess.

Results per CSA:

  • 10:45 (Jun 10)
  • 10:21 (Jun 17)
  • 9:48 (Jun 22)
  • 8:51 (Sep 11)
  • 10:00 (Sep 20)
  • 10:00 (Oct 9)
  • 10:19 (Oct 22)
  • 10:29 (Oct 25)

Nominated by Anthony McCarley

Jaimie Monahan (New York, USA)

  • 28.5 mile (46 km) 20 Bridges Circumnavigation Swim of Manhattan Solo on 1st October 2016 in 8 hours, 13 minutes, 20 seconds
  • 31 mile (50 km) Solo swim across Lake Como, Italy on 7 - 8th September 2016 in 20 hours 29 minutes
  • 42 mile (69 km) Solo swim across Lake Geneva, Switzerland on 31st August to 1st September 2016 in 28 hours 36 minutes
  • 17-mile (27 km) Rose Pitonof Solo on 13 August 2016 in 5 hours, 1 minutes
  • 32 mile (52 km) Lake George Marathon Swim on 6-7 August 2016 in 21 hours, 12 minutes
  • 17 mile (27 km) Solo swim around Lago d’Orta, Italy on 23 July 2016 in 8 hours, 38 minutes
  • 22.5-mile (30 km) Solo circumnavigation swim of Absecon Island, New Jersey Atlantic City Around the Island Swim Solo on 11 July 2016 in 13 hours, 59 minutes
  • 18.6 mile (57.9 km) Stage 7: Liberty of 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim down the Hudson River in New York City on 3 July 2015 in 6 hours 17 minutes.
  • 4.6 mile (7.5 km) swim from Isla de la Luna to Isla del Sol in Lake Titicaca, Bolivia on 7 May 2016 in 2 hours, 23 minutes
  • Ice Mile in Reykjavik, Iceland (1 mile in 35 minutes at 2C/35F)
  • 2016 US Women’s Winter Swimming Champion, 50 and 25 meter breaststroke (New York, USA)
  • Overall Winner of International Winter Swimming Association’s 2016 World Cup including:
    • Jelgavas Roni Open Cup (Jelgava, Latvia)
    • Big Chill Swim (Windemere, Cumbria, England)
    • Pirita Open (Tallin, Estonia)
    • Scandinavian Winter Swimming Championships (Skelleftea, Sweden)
    • Winter Swimming World Championships (Tyumen, Siberia, Russia)
    • Memphremagog Winter Swimming Festival (Newport, Vermont, USA)
    • International Extreme Race of Winter Swimming across Yellow River (Qinghai, China)
    • Winter Swimming Festival for Swimming in Springs (Jinan and Tai’erzhuang, China)
  • President of Lake Geneva Swimming Association (Geneva, Switzerland)

Nominated by Mark Sheridan

Finalists - Men

Dan Simonelli (California, USA)

Nominated by Anthony McCarley:

Dan started out the year early by swimming the Catalina Channel solo on 16 January 2016, becoming the second person to swim on that date, the 89th anniversary of the first successful crossing by George Young, winner of the Wrigley Ocean Marathon Swim, in 1927, starting the swim from the Isthmus as they had done in 1927.

He kayaked all 4 days of SCAR in support of Dave Van Mouwerik, April 27-30.

To start off the regular CCSF season, he swam with the CCSF Board of Directors Catalina Channel Relay, 8 May 2016. The purpose of which was for the CCSF Board to experience and get to know the new CCSF approved boat, Captain and crew of Pacific Star.

Dan helped coordinate and swam with the Out, Around, and Back Relay, July 14 & 15, 2016. From the West end of Catalina Island Out to Santa Barbara Island, Around SBI, and (well, almost) Back to Catalina.

Dan was also a member of the relay setting a CCSF record for Mixed relay (3 male, 3 female) age 50-59, going in the “opposite” direction from Mainland to Catalina.

He did a 16mi swim, from La Jolla Shores beach to South Mission Beach jetty and back (San Diego), 1 Aug 2016

Dan coaches the Arch Academy Zombies (open water swim team) who have done swims: Alcatraz swim, Catalina relays, English Channel relays, a SBCSA “First” -Santa Barbara Island to Anacapa Island relays. And in August, with the plan to do Ka’iwi (Molokai) Channel relays getting weathered out, he shifted the plan to a point to point relay swim along West coast of Molokai Island and swam with one of the two relays.

Dan did a solo English Channel on August 25th.

And then stayed there for the next few weeks working with Chloe McCardel and supporting other swims and relays:

  • Coach/crew support for Team Manatee, Swim Across America EC Relay (helped raise over $80k for SAA)
  • 4SeaAbles Relay
  • Channel Crusaders Relay
  • Return Trippers Relay
  • La Jolla 10 Mile Relay, 25 Sept 2016.
  • Observer for CCSF and SBCSA.
  • Voting Member of CCSF Board.
  • Member of IMSHOF Voting Panel.
  • President La Jolla Cove Swim Club.
  • Co-event director for La Jolla Pier To Cove swim.
  • Assisted numerous Solo swimmers and Relays in their planning and coordination of their Catalina Channel, Anacapa Island, English Channel and other swims.

Mark Spratt (Indiana, USA)

Nominated by Jaimie Monahan:

  • Swim the Suck - 10miles/16km in 4 hours, 11 minutes on 8-Oct
  • Spuyten Duyvil 10K - 6.5miles/10.5km in 1 hour, 35 minutes on 11-Sept
  • Catalina Channel Solo - 20.1miles/32.16km in 10 hours, 6 minutes on 8-Sept
  • Oceanside Labor Day Pier Swim - 1miles/1.6km in 21 minutes, 49 seconds on 5-Sept
  • Coronado Sports Fiesta - 1miles/1.6km in 21 minutes, 13 seconds on 3-Sept
  • Swim to the Moon 10K - 6.2miles/10km in 2 hours, 31 minutes on 21-Aug
  • USMS 10 Mile National Championship - 10miles/16km in 4 hours, 54 minutes on 30-Jul
  • 8 Bridges Stage 6 (Tappan Zee to GWB) - 15.7miles/25.12km in 3 hours, 35 minutes on 2-Jul
  • C.I.O.W.S. Swim - 2.4miles/3.84km in 1 hour, 2 minutes on 25-Jun
  • USMS National 2 Mile Cable Swim - 2miles/3.2km in 51 minutes, 2 seconds on 18-Jun
  • Great Chesapeake Bay Swim - 4.4miles/7.04km in 1 hour, 50 minutes on 12-Jun
  • Geoffrey Keller Memorial - 2.4miles/4km in 1 hour, 1 minute on 4-Jun
  • SCAR-Roosevelt Lake - 6.6miles/10km in 2 hours, 55 minutes on 30-Apr
  • SCAR-Apache Lake - 17miles/27.3km DNF on 29-Apr
  • SCAR-Canyon Lake - 9miles/14.4km in 3 hours, 41 minutes on 28-Apr
  • SCAR-Saguaro Lake - 9.5miles/15.2km in 3 hours, 38 minutes on 27-Apr
  • 24 Hour Relay on 30-Jan

Philip Yorke (Mirfield, England)

Nominated by Dan Simonelli:

Phil has had an interesting and extraordinary year…of swimming and service to our marathon swimming community in Britain.

After breaking his wrist and with it immobilized, Phil swam the BLDSA Champion of Champions event: 5 mile, 3 mile, 1 mile swims in one day. Later, on consecutive days, he swam 2-way Bala, 6 miles, and 1-way Bala the following day.

Windermere twice.

Support paddled Coniston Vets and Ullswater.

Phil swam Loch Lomond, 21.6 miles. (2nd person to swim it breaststroke and set the fastest time)

Coordinated and crewed for Aspire EC Relay team.

Swam St. Mary’s Loch, 6.5 mi.

And, Phil is the Honorary General Secretary of the British Long Distance Swimming Association.

Phil is always ready and willing to help fellow swimmers in any way, whether that’s individually crewing or supporting their swims or through his work with Aspire English Channel Relays, raising money for this Charity for people paralysed by spinal injury.


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