Dale Petranech

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Dale Petranech is a dual inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame and International Swimming Hall of Fame
Dale Petranech with the Dale Petranech Award for Services trophy at International Swimming Hall of Fame
Dale Petranech, an Honor Open Water Contributor enshrined in the International Swimming Hall of Fame
Members of the Catalina Channel Swimming Federation at the induction ceremonies at the United Nations in June 2011 with Dale Petranech on far left together with Penny Dean, John York, Linda Bamford, Paula Selby, David Clark and Carol Sing. Photo by Skip Storch
Dale Petranech at the 1994 ISHOF Induction Ceremony
Bob Duenkel left with Dale Petranech at the 1996 ISHOF Induction Ceremony
A History of Marathon Swimming, a 536-page book written by Joe Grossman and co-edited by Steve Walker and Dale Petranech

Dale Petranech (died 28 June 2019 at the age of 84) was an American open water swimmer and administrator from New Jersey who was enshrined in the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an Honor Open Water Contributor. He is a member of the Half Century Club for his successful crossing of the Catalina Channel and Honorary Secretary of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame. He also swam around Manhattan Island twice - including a in 1982 in 7 hours 58 minutes and 7 seconds. Petranech's wealth of information and global networks in the open water swimming community is one of the most impressive in the world of aquatics.

1-Hour Postal Swim

Petranech started the first 1-Hour Postal in 1968 which has now developed in the Speedo USMS 1-Hour Postal National Championship.

Honors

International Swimming Hall of Fame Videos



Career

In 1966, the personable New Jersey native became the first U.S. Swimming Open Water Swimming Committee Chairman and developed a successful domestic and international program. He assisted U.S. Masters Swimming to form its own independent organization. He was chairman of the FINA Open Water Swimming Commission that made recommendations to FINA for inclusion of Open Water Swimming into their organization and eventually served as Honorary Secretary of the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee.

Throughout the years, he has ably and enthusiastically provided the administrative background, expertise and efforts to maintain the records, rules, policies, procedures and protocols used in the sport at the USA Swimming, local age-group and masters, and FINA levels. He has continues to serve as the Honorary Secretary & Treasurer of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, is a lifetime member of the Catalina Channel Swimming Federation and is the Eastern Zone Open Water Swimming Zone Representative for USA Swimming.

International Swimming Hall of Fame

FOR THE RECORD: 45 YEARS ADMINISTRATOR FOR OPEN WATER SWIMMING: 1966 to Present; CHAIRMAN AAU NATIONAL LONG DISTANCE COMMITTEE: 1966-1969; CHAIRMAN UNITED STATE SWIMMING LONG DISTANCE COMMITTEE (1969-1991); CHAIRMAN OF FIRST FINA COMMISSION TO STUDY ADDING OPEN WATER SWIMMING TO OLYMPIC AND FINA PROGRAM: 1984-1992); APPOINTED TO FINA’S FIRST TECHNICAL OPEN WATER SWIMMING COMMITTEE: Honorary Secretary (1992-1996); GUIDED FORMATION OF WRITING RULES FOR INTERNATIONAL OPEN WATER SWIMMING; SERVED OVER 40 YEARS AS OPEN WATER EVENT OFFICIAL AND OFFICIAL FINA OBSERVER; HONORARY SECRETARY INTERNATIONAL MARATHON SWIMMING HALL OF FAME: 1998 to Present; CHAIRMAN NATIONAL AQUATIC COALITION: 1994-1996.

For the past 45 years Dale Petranech has been a leader in, and advocate for, open water, long distance swimming and has worked to organize open water swimming competitions in the United States and around the world. He accepts every challenge head-on and is well respected internationally for his work. He began in 1966, as a chairman for AAU National Long Distance Committee, of which only one race existed annually - the 4-mile for men and 4-mile for women, both swum around a quarter mile cable stretched in the water. As committee chair, his first priority was to increase the number of meets attended by U.S. athletes, both nationally and internationally, whereby he secured U.S. athletes to compete at Lake Windermere, the first time any swimmers officially represented the USA overseas. With the help Hall of Famer Ross Wales, Dale helped create United States Open Water Inc, when the AAU was required to relinquish its administrative control on the sport, opening the potential to access more concentrated efforts on long distance swimming’s behalf within the U.S. For a short period of time, the organization was separate from all other organizations. As Chairman of the committee, Dale was responsible for both USS and USMS open water, long distance swimming. As a member of the DC Masters Swimming Club, Dale organized and participated in the first-ever, one-hour swimming-for-distance postal meet where results are sent to a central location for tabulation. This new concept has grown to include thousands of participating swimmers today. In 1992, with Dale’s urging, FINA President Bob Helmick agreed to study adding open water swimming to the Olympic program. Dale became Chair of a newly appointed FINA Commission to study adding Open Water Swimming to the FINA and Olympic Games programs and to develop rules and procedures to help make it happen. This led to the formation of the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee, Dale serving as Honorary Secretary, responsible for setting the agenda. During his terms on the Committee and FINA Commission, he helped write the accepted and standard international rules using the 25k race as a standard distance. Guidelines were taken from the rules of the British Long Distance Swimming Association, Channel Swimming Association and United States Swimming Long Distance groups. He stressed a 25k race be held at each World Championship (first one in Perth, 1990) and pushed for a FINA Marathon World Cup in Olympic years, the first one from Lausanne to Evian France on Lake Geneva in1988. In 1984, he helped to host a Catalina Channel International and a 15k Hunting Beach to Seal Beach attended by Great Britain, Czechoslovakia, Egypt and the USA. During his tenure as Honorary Secretary of the TOWSC, he served in many capacities internationally as an event official from clerk of course to assistant referee to FINA special observer. He has presided over many FINA Open Water Clinics, and has been the lead official at the USA National Open Water Championships and the 2000 FINA World Open Water Championships in Hawaii. He served on the organizing committees for the first few Around Manhattan Island swims and the FINA Around Absecon Island (Atlantic City) swims. From 1994 to 1996, Dale was the Chairman of the National Aquatic Coalition, an organization to bring together all organizations relating to aquatics, for mutual understanding. As secretary of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame when Commander Gerry Forsberg (GBR) died in 1998, Dale assumed Gerry’s position as Honorary Secretary of IMSHOF where has admirably performed all the duties of this position including formalizing the ballot for the IMSHOF Induction. He developed and organized the first ever IMSHOF Induction Ceremony for this organization that began in 1964. In 1985 at the age of 50 he became the oldest person to swim the 21 mile Catalina Channel.

Editor

Petranech was the co-editor with Steve Walker of A History of Marathon Swimming, a 546-page book written by International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Honour Administrator Joe Grossman that was published on 19 July 2016 and covers the sport of marathon swimming and its participants including swimmers, coaches, trainers, promoters and pilots, from 1865 to 1964.

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
4. Gary Greenwood (USA), 62, CM in 14:08 in 2004
4. Pat Gallant-Charette (USA), 60, CM in 14:11 in 2011
5. Mo Siegel (USA), 60, CM in 14:08 in 2011
6. Scott Lautman (USA), 60 CM in 12:09 in 2014
6. Bob Needham (USA), 58, CM in 14:10 in 2011
8. Tom Hecker (USA), 56, CM in 10:45 in 2009
9. Richard Knepper (USA), 56, MC in 11:56 in 2005
10. Barbara Held (USA), 56, CM in 9:46 in 2010
11. Mark Smitherman (USA), 56, CM in 11:52 in 2014
12. Carol Sing (USA), 55, CM in 10:48 in 1996
14. Bill Hoehn (USA), 55, CM in 12:56 in 2005
14. Kevin Murphy (Great Britain), 54, CM in 15:24 in 2004
15. Roger Finch (South Africa), 54, CM in 9:45:02 in 2012
16. Dave Van Mouwerik (USA), 54, CM in 12:09:06 in 2012
16. Ned Denison (Ireland), 54, CM 8:50:04 in 2012
18. Peter Tanham (Australia), 54, CM in 10:06 in 2014
19. Anthony McCarley (USA), 54, CM in 14:00.4 in 2014
20. Nick Almos-Lau (Mexico), 54, CM in 12:40 in 1999
21. James Fitzpatrick (USA), 54, CM in 14:59 in 2008 (to Newport Beach)
22. Jim McConica (USA), 54, CM in 10:19 in 2004
24. Douglas McConnell (USA), 54, CM in 12:41:14 in 2012
24. David Cooper (USA), 52, CM in 14:19 in 2005
25. Dan Richards (USA), 52, CM in 10:10 2008
26. Chris Burke (USA), 52, CM in 11:22 in 2014
26. Alan Bell (USA), 51, CM in 9:28 in 2001
28. Chris Palfrey (Australia), 51, CM in 10:40 in 2009
29. Lynn Kubasek (USA), 51, CM in 15:54 in 2009
40. Daniel Robinson (USA), 51, CM in 9:56 in 2008
41. Ron Collins (USA), 51, CM in 10:05 on 10 September 2014
42. Antonio Argüelles (Mexico), 50, CM in 10:25 in 2009
44. William Newbern (USA), 50, CM in 12:48 in 2005
44. Ray Meltvedt (USA), 50, CM in 15:25 in 2010
45. Suzie Dods (USA), 50, MC in 18:46 in 2010
46. Dale Petranech (USA), 50, CM in 14:28 in 1985
46. John Hill (USA), 50, CM in 19:15 in 1985
48. Frank Reynolds (USA), 50, CM in 10:44 in 1986
49. Jim Barber (USA), 50, CM in 8:44 in 2010
40. Sue Free (USA), 50, CM in 11:24 in 2012
41. Bridgette Hobart Janeczko (USA), 50, CM 11:26:16 in 2012
42. Hendrik Meerman (USA), CM, 50, 12:48:40 in 2012
44. Scott Tapley (USA), MC, 50, 16:44:12 in 2014

USA Long Distance International Championships

He was also the USA Swimming representative and team manager at the 1984 USA Long Distance International Championships which was the first race across the Catalina Channel since the Wrigley Ocean Marathon in 1926.

External links

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