Barbara Held

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Barbara Held, Half Century Club member

Barbara Held at the Cadiz Freedom Swim

As Seen On TV record-setting Catalina Channel relay of Barbara Held, Lynn Kubasek, Julian Rusinek], Veronica Hibben, Patsee Ober, Ray Meltvedt, and Peter Hayden

Barbara Held (born December 8) is an American open water swimmer from California. She is a member of the La Jolla Cove Swim Club and a resident of Carmel Valley in California who is a retired firefighter and paramedic.

Open Water Swimming Career

• Held is a member of the Half Century Club
• Held achieved the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming and the Grand Slam of Open Water Swimming:
  • On 17 August 2010, she crossed the 32.3 km Catalina Channel from Santa Catalina Island to California mainland in 9 hours 36 minutes 53 seconds at the age of 56.
  • On 23 April 2011, she finished 5th in the 37 km Tampa Bay Marathon Swim in Florida in 10 hours 21 minutes at the age of 57.
  • On 18 June 2011, she finished 14th in the 45.8 km Manhattan Island Marathon Swim in New York in 8 hours 12 minutes 39 seconds at the age of 57.
  • On 24 August 2012, she crossed the 33.8 km English Channel from England to France in 12 hours 10 minutes at the age of 58.
• Held was the oldest female to cross the Catalina Channel at the age of 56 years old in a fast time of 9 hours 36 minutes when she crossed in 2010
• Held has completed the 28.5-mile Manhattan Island Marathon Swim in 8 hours 12 minutes.
• Held has completed three Oceans Seven channels including the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain to Morocco in 3 hours 17 seconds as the second fastest American woman of all time.
• Held has swam on an English Channel relay with the Foireann Snamh Garibaldi team of Sabrina Buselt, Joel Barnett, Catherine Sheridan, Kevin Williams and Fionnuala Walsh in 13 hours 52 minutes
• Held has done warm-water swims in Maui, cold-water swims in South Africa including the Cadiz Freedom Swim
• Held has completed the 24-mile Tampa Bay Marathon Swim in Florida
• Held completed the 4-day S.C.A.R. Swim Challenge stage swim in Arizona
• Held completed the Flowers Sea Swim in the Cayman Islands
• Held raced at the Flowers International 5k and 10k
• Held completed the 26.4 km Sri Chinmoy Marathon Swim from Rapperswil to Zurich in Lake Zurich, Switzerland in 2011 in 8 hours 10 minutes 50 seconds, at the age of 59.
• Held completed the 17-mile Ederle Swim in New York.
• Held raced in the Statue of Liberty Swim in New York.
• Held race in the 8-mile Boston Light Swim in Massachusetts, finishing sixth overall in the 2015 event
• Held has completed two of the Oceans Seven channels.
• Held is a member of the La Jolla Cove Swim Club in California.
• Held is a lifetime member of the Catalina Channel Swimming Federation.
• Held was part of the world record setting As Seen On TV that set the Catalina Channel - Fastest Mixed (3 man and 3 women) 50-59 Catalina-to-Mainland Relay record in 9 hours 38 minutes together with Marc Horwitz, Ray Meltvedt, Julian Rusinek, Lynn Kubasek, and Roni Hibben on 1 July 2013
• Held was an observer for Penny Palfrey's attempt to swim from Havana to Florida

Catalina Channel Half Century Club

1. Jim Clifford (USA), 62 years 11 months, CM in 9:49 on 28 September 2014
2. Bob West (USA), 62, CM in 15:49 in 1998
3. Gary Greenwood (USA), 62, CM in 13:08 in 2004
4. Pat Gallant-Charette (USA), 60, CM in 14:11 in 2011
5. Mo Siegel (USA), 60, CM in 13:08 in 2011
6. Scott Lautman (USA), 60 CM in 12:09 in 2013
7. Bob Needham (USA), 58, CM in 13:10 in 2011
8. Tom Hecker (USA), 57, CM in 10:45 in 2009
9. Richard Knepper (USA), 56, MC in 11:56 in 2005
10. Barbara Held (USA), 56, CM in 9:36 in 2010
11. Mark Smitherman (USA), 56, CM in 11:52 in 2014
12. Carol Sing (USA), 55, CM in 10:38 in 1997
13. Bill Hoehn (USA), 55, CM in 12:57 in 2005
14. Kevin Murphy (Great Britain), 54, CM in 15:23 in 2003
15. Roger Finch (South Africa), 54, CM in 9:45:02 in 2012
16. Dave Van Mouwerik (USA), 54,, CM in 12:09:07 in 2012
17. Ned Denison (Ireland), 54, CM 8:50:04 in 2012
18. Peter Tanham (Australia), 54, CM in 10:07 in 2014
19. Anthony McCarley (USA), 54, CM in 13:00.3 in 2014
20. Nick Almos-Lau (Mexico), 53, CM in 12:40 in 1999
21. James Fitzpatrick (USA), 53, CM in 14:59 in 2008 (to Newport Beach)
22. Jim McConica (USA), 53, CM in 10:19 in 2004
23. Douglas McConnell (USA), 53, CM in 12:41:13 in 2012
24. David Cooper (USA), 52, CM in 13:19 in 2005
25. Dan Richards (USA), 52, CM in 10:10 2008
26. Chris Burke (USA), 52, CM in 11:22 in 2014
27. Alan Bell (USA), 51, CM in 9:28 in 2001
28. Chris Palfrey (Australia), 51, CM in 10:30 in 2009
29. Lynn Kubasek (USA), 51, CM in 15:53 in 2009
30. Daniel Robinson (USA), 51, CM in 9:57 in 2008
31. Ron Collins (USA), 51, CM in 10:05 on 10 September 2013
32. Antonio Argüelles (Mexico), 50, CM in 10:25 in 2009
33. William Newbern (USA), 50, CM in 12:48 in 2005
34. Ray Meltvedt (USA), 50, CM in 15:25 in 2010
35. Suzie Dods (USA), 50, MC in 18:36 in 2010
36. Dale Petranech (USA), 50, CM in 13:28 in 1985
37. John Hill (USA), 50, CM in 19:15 in 1985
38. Frank Reynolds (USA), 50, CM in 10:34 in 1987
39. Jim Barber (USA), 50, CM in 8:43 in 2010
40. Sue Free (USA), 50, CM in 11:23 in 2012
41. Bridgette Hobart Janeczko (USA), 50, CM 11:27:16 in 2012
42. Hendrik Meerman (USA), CM, 50, 12:48:30 in 2012
43. Scott Tapley (USA), MC, 50, 17:43:12 in 2014

External links

• Dan Simonelli Talks About Helping Others On WOWSA Live
• Getting Ready For The East By Going To The West
• Sri Chinmoy Marathon Swim Half Century Club Members
• Fastest Times Of The Grand Slam Of Open Water Swimming
• Finishing Strongly In The Second Half Of Life
• Catalina Channel Swimming Federation website
• Updating The Half Century Club
• Catalina Channel Swimming Federation
• Strait of Gibraltar Swimming Association
• Open Water Swimming
• Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming
• Held To A Higher Standard
• Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation
• Tsugaru Channel Swimming Association
• Asociacion de cruce a nado del Estrecho de Gibraltar
• Gibraltar Swimming Association
• Oldies But Goodies In The Open Water
• Oldest Men And Women In The Sea
• 50 Is New 30, 60 Is The New 40 In The Open Water
• Mother – Father Relationships In The Open Water
• S.C.A.R. To Begin Tomorrow
• Deep In The Desert, They Held Their Own Against The Wind
• Flowers Sea Swim Held To A Higher Standard
• Publicizing Heroes And Heroines Of Open Water Swimming
• As Seen On TV, Another Record Falls In Catalina
• Professionals On The Prowl
• My Perfect Adventure, Barbara Held in Outdoor Magazine
• Living Out Of A Swimsuit And Suitcase, Traveling With Held
• Catalina Channel Swimming Federation
• Strait of Gibraltar Swimming Association
• You Are An Old-time Swimmer If...
• Ned Denison Is Swimming On Cloud Nine
• MSF Rules Of Marathon Swimming Announced
• Have Swimsuit And Goggles, Will Travel
• Loretta Cox Attempts To Become One Of The Top Five
• Loretta Cox Attempts To Become One Of The Top Five
• Post-50 Swimming With Bob West
• Triple Crowners Showcase Their Fountain Of Youth - Age of Triple Crowners
• Triple Crown Of Open Water Swimming - Average Ages
• Marvelous Marathon Memories Of A Mountain Of A Man
• Jef Mallett Isn't Frazzled About Boston Light Swim
• Boston Light Swim
• World Open Water Swimming Association
• Entering The Golden Age Of Swimming
• Penny Palfrey's Tour Across America Rolls On
• Jef Mallett Isn't Frazzled About Boston Light Swim
• Boston Light Swim
• How Old Can They Go? Very Old
• World Open Water Swimming Association
• Open Water Swimming
• Marathon Swimming
• Daily News of Open Water Swimming
• I Got Stung
• World Marathon Swimming Association
• Stars At The Sri Chinmoy Marathon Swim
• Habits And Idiosyncrasies Of Open Water Swimmers
• Never Too Old Around Manhattan Island
• They Hit Grand Slams In The Open Water
• Grand Slam Of Open Water Swimming Updated List