2024 Global Marathon Swimming Awards
The MSF Global Marathon Swimming Awards recognize outstanding achievements and contributions in solo marathon swimming (ultra-swimming). For 2024, we will offer awards in four categories:
- Solo Swim of the Year - the most outstanding solo marathon swim.
- Yudovin Award - the most adventurous swim (in honor of David Yudovin). Limited to swims that are the first known completion of a route.
- Barra List - recognizing up to five swimmers who had the most outstanding overall year of marathon swimming (in honor of MSF charter member and core team member David Barra’s epic year of swimming in 2010).
- Service to Marathon Swimming - recognizing outstanding contributions to the sport in a non-swimming role.
To submit nominations, go here.
Solo Swim of the Year
Recognizing the most outstanding solo marathon swim of 2024.
Criteria
- Swim must be solo, nonstop, and conducted according to unassisted marathon swimming rules (MSF Rules, English Channel rules, or equivalent).
- If the swim is in a body of water covered by an established local sanction association, it must be ratified by the relevant association.
- If it is an independent swim (no local sanction association for the body of water), the swim must be submitted to MSF Documented Swims by January 7, 2025.
Finalists
Brian Foster - 2-way North Channel.
Ratified by ILDSA
📸 Carol Cashell
Vera and Margaret Rivard - tandem 2-way Lake Memphremagog. Ratified by NEKOWSA
📸 Phil White
Amy Appelhans Gubser - Golden Gate Bridge to Farallon Islands
📸 Sarah Roberts
... to be announced.
Previous Winners
- Tina Neill. San Clemente Island to California mainland (2012).
- Trent Grimsey. New English Channel record (2012).
- Wendy Trehiou. Two-way English Channel (2013).
- Sylvain Estadieu. English Channel butterfly (2013).
- Chloё McCardel. South Eleuthera Island to Nassau, Bahamas (2014).
- Craig Lenning. Farallon Islands to California mainland (2014).
- Chloё McCardel. Three-way English Channel (2015).
- Jason Betley. Two-way Catalina Channel (2015).
- Sarah Thomas. Lake Powell (2016).
- Howard James. Earliest English Channel swim - May 16 (2016).
- Sarah Thomas. Lake Champlain (2017)
- Cameron Bellamy. Circumnavigation of Barbados (2018).
- Sarah Thomas. Four-way English Channel (2019).
Yudovin Award for Most Adventurous Swim
Criteria
- Swim must be solo, nonstop, and conducted according to unassisted marathon swimming rules (MSF Rules, English Channel rules, or equivalent).
- Swim must be the first known swim of its route.
- If the swim is in a body of water covered by an established local sanction association, it must be ratified by the relevant association.
- If it is an independent swim (no local sanction association for the body of water), the swim must be submitted to MSF Documented Swims by January 7, 2025.
Finalists
Finalists to be announced
Finalists to be announced
Previous Winners
- Peter Hayden. Anacapa Island circumnavigation, return to mainland (2014).
- Wendy Trehiou. St. Malo, France to Jersey (2015).
- Lori King. Bermuda circumnavigation (2016).
- Jaimie Monahan. Lake Maggiore (2017).
- Colleen Blair. North Minch (2018).
Barra List
Recognizing the most prolific overall year of marathon swimming.
Criteria
Nominees will be generated by an automated query on the LongSwims Database, and announced after March 1, 2025. If you want your 2024 swims to be considered for this award, make sure they have been submitted to the LongSwims Database by the end of December (link to MSF contact form).
Previous Winners
- Grace van der Byl (2012)
- Sarah Thomas (2013)
- Darren Miller (2013)
- Charlotte Samuels (2014)
- Mo Siegel (2014)
- Bridgette Hobart (2015)
- Craig Lenning (2015)
- Mark Sheridan (2015)
- Jaimie Monahan (2016)
- Dan Simonelli (2016)
- Abigail Fairman (2017)
- Stephen Rouch (2017)
- Martyn Webster (2018)
- John Batchelder (2019)
- Sandra Frimerman-Bergquist (2019)
- Stephen Rouch (2019)
- Sarah Thomas (2019)
- John Zemaitis (2019)
Service to Marathon Swimming
Recognizing outstanding contributions to the sport in a non-swimming role.
Criteria
Significant and selfless contributions to the sport in a non-swimming role - volunteer, organizational, or swim support. Scope of nominations may include contributions in any year, not just 2024. Previous winners not eligible.
Previous Winners
- Dover Beach crew - Freda Streeter, Irene Wakeham, Barrie Wakeham (2013)
- Neil van der Byl and Grace van der Byl (2014)
- Dan Simonelli (2015)
- David Barra, Rondi Davies, & Alex Arevalo of New York Open Water (2016)
- Andrew Malinak (2017)
- Lynn Kubasek (2018)
- Phil White (2019-2020)