Tom Hecker

From Openwaterpedia

Tom Hecker is a member of the La Jolla Cove Swim Club and a member of the Half Century Club as one of the oldest swimmers of the English Channel, Catalina Channel and Cook Strait. He is also a member of the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming due to his crossing of the English Channel in 15 hours 21 minutes in 2005, his circumnavigation of Manhattan Island in 2008 in a time of 8 hours 20 minutes and a 10:45 crossing of the Catalina Channel in 2009.

The Co-Chairman of the La Jolla Cove Swim Club, he trains at the La Jolla Cove while employed as a Sales Training Manager at Sherwood Medical.

He also crossed Lake Tahoe (22.1 miles) in 15 hours 9 minutes from Camp Richardson in California to Hyatt Beach in Nevada as the oldest swimmer on record. He also crossed the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain to Morocco in 2006 in a time of 3 hours 40 minutes and continues to set his sights on other channels around the world.

With his January 2012 crossing of the Cook Strait in 10 hours 36 minutes, Hecker has now completed 4 of 7 channels of the Oceans Seven: English Channel, Catalina Channel, Cook Strait and Strait of Gibraltar.

Catalina Channel Half Century Club

1. Bob West (USA), 62, CM in 15:49 in 1998
2. Gary Greenwood (USA), 62, CM in 13:08 in 2004
3. Pat Gallant-Charette (USA), 60, CM in 14:11 in 2011
4. Mo Siegel (USA), 60, CM in 13:08 in 2011
5. Bob Needham (USA), 58, CM in 13:10 in 2011
6. Tom Hecker (USA), 57 in 10:45 in 2009
7. Richard Knepper (USA), 56, MC in 11:56 in 2005
8. Barbara Held (USA), 56, CM in 9:36 in 2010
9. Carol Sing (USA), 55, CM in 10:38 in 1997
10. Bill Hoehn (USA), 55, CM in 12:57 in 2005
11. Kevin Murphy (Great Britain), 54, CM in 15:23 in 2003
12. Roger Finch (South Africa), 54, CM, 9:45:02 in 2012
13. Dave Van Mouwerik (USA), 54,, CM, 12:09:07
14. Ned Denison (Ireland), 54, CM, 8:50:04 in 2012
15. Nick Almos-Lau (Mexico), 53, CM in 12:40 in 1999
16. James Fitzpatrick (USA), 53, CM in 14:59 in 2008 (to Newport Beach)
17. Jim McConica (USA), 53, CM in 10:19 in 2004
18. Douglas McConnell (USA), CM, 12:41:13 in 2012
19. David Cooper (USA), 52, CM in 13:19 in 2005
20. Dan Richards (USA), 52, CM in 10:10 2008
21. Alan Bell (USA), 51, CM in 9:28 in 2001
22. Chris Palfrey (Australia), 51, CM in 10:30 in 2009
23. Lynn Kubasek (USA), 51, CM in 15:53 in 2009
24. Daniel Robinson (USA), 51, CM in 9:57 in 2008
25. Antonio Argüelles (Mexico), 50, CM in 10:25 in 2009
26. William Newbern (USA), 50, CM in 12:48 in 2005
27. Ray Meltvedt (USA), 50, CM in 15:25 in 2010
28. Suzie Dods (USA), 50, MC in 18:36 in 2010
29. Dale Petranech (USA), 50, CM in 13:28 in 1985
30. John Hill (USA), 50, CM in 19:15 in 1985
31. Frank Reynolds (USA), 50, CM in 10:34 in 1987
32. Jim Barber (USA), 50, CM in 8:43 in 2010
33. Sue Free (USA), 50, CM, 11:23 in 2012
34. Bridgette Hobart Janeczko (USA), 50, CM 11:27:16 in 2012
35. Hendrik Meerman (USA), CM, 50, 12:48:30 in 2012

External links

• Catalina Channel Swimming Federation website
• A Celebration Of Catalina Channel Champions
• Updating The Half Century Club
• The Oldest Men and Women in the Sea
• Oldies But Goodies In The Open Water
• Sign On San Diego
• La Jolla Cove Swim Club
• Tom Hecker Crosses Another Channel
• NYC Swim bio
• Catalina Channel Swimming Federation website
• Channel Swimming Association website
• Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming website
• Open Water Swimming website
• Oceans Seven List - September 2012