Grand Slam of Open Water Swimming

noun - The Grand Slam of Open Water Swimming or the Grand Slam of Open Water Marathon Swimming is a solo completion of the 33.5 km English Channel between England and France, 32.3 km Catalina Channel in California, 45.9 km Manhattan Island Marathon Swim or 20 Bridges Manhattan Swim in New York, and 37 km Tampa Bay Marathon Swim in Florida.

Origin of Grand Slam

• Ron Collins, race director of the Tampa Bay Marathon Swim, first created this term in 2015.
• There are other references to Grand Slam:
  • The Grand Slam (tennis) includes the Australian Open in January, the French Open in May and June, Wimbledon in July, and the US Open in August and September. Each tournament is played over a period of two weeks. When a player or pair wins all four major annual tournaments, they achieve the Grand Slam.
  • Grand slam (baseball) is a home run with all the bases occupied, scoring 4 runs.
  • Grand Slam (Hollywood) is when an entertainer wins an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award.

Members

1. T. Scott Coleman

• August 1996 English Channel: 11 hours 54 minutes
  
• July 1998 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim: 8 hours 38 minutes 2 seconds
  
• April 2000 Tampa Bay Marathon Swim: 12 hours 41 minutes 33 seconds
  
• August 2000 Catalina Channel: 12 hours 41 minutes 43 seconds at the age of 46
  

2. Kathleen Wilson

• June 1999 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim: 7 hours 37 minutes
  
• August 2001 English Channel: 13 hours 10 minutes
  
• April 2003 Tampa Bay Marathon Swim: 12 hours 26 minutes
  
• August 2004 Catalina Channel: 9 hours 36 minutes at the age of 41
  

3. David Blanke

• Between 1999 and 2008 Manhattan Island Marathon Swims 7 times including 7 hours 10 minutes
  
• April 2001 Tampa Bay Marathon Swim: 11 hours 51 minutes
  
• August 2001 English Channel: 11 hours 32 minutes
  
• August 2005 Catalina Channel: 8 hours 56 minutes 10 seconds at the age of 45
  

4. Forrest Nelson

• Between 2004 and 2013 Catalina Channel 4 times including 10 hours 35 minutes
  
• April 2005 Tampa Bay Marathon Swim: 10 hours 21 minutes
  
• July 2005 English Channel: 10 hours 33 minutes
  
• June 2007 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim: 9 hours 41 minutes 37 seconds at the age of 41
  

5. Samantha Simon

• April 2008 Tampa Bay Marathon Swim: 8 hours 59 minutes
  
• August 2009 English Channel: 13 hours 11 minutes
  
• June 2010 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim: 8 hours 10 minutes
  
• August 2010 Catalina Channel: 9 hours 22 minutes at the age of 20
  

6. Craig Lenning

• August 2009, Catalina Channel: 9 hours 9 minutes 51 seconds
  
• April 2010 Tampa Bay Marathon Swim: 10 hours 17 minutes
  
• June 2010 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim: 8 hours 24 minutes 33 seconds
  
• August 2010 English Channel: 11 hours 25 minutes 22 seconds at the age of 31
  

7. David Barra

• April 2010 Tampa Bay Marathon Swim: 10 hours 49 minutes
  
• June 2010 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim: 8 hours 30 minutes
  
• July 2010 Catalina Channel: 15 hours 37 minutes 11 seconds
  
• September 2010 English Channel: 14 hours 27 minutes 20 seconds at the age of 45
  

8. Penny Palfrey

• Between 2006 and 2007 English Channel: 9 hours 16 minutes
  
• June 2007 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim: 8 hours 36 minutes
  
• April 2008 Tampa Bay Marathon Swim: 7 hours 51 minutes 24 seconds
  
• Between 2010 and 2015 Catalina Channel: 10 hours 36 minutes at the age of 48
  

9. Scott Richards

• June 2006 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim: 8 hours 8 minutes 48 seconds
  
• September 2006 Catalina Channel: 10 hours 39 minutes 27 minutes
  
• July 2007 English Channel: 13 hours 20 minutes at the age of 47
  
• April 2011 Tampa Bay Marathon Swim: 10 hours 35 minutes at the age of 51
  

10. Dan Richards

• April 2008 Tampa Bay Marathon Swim: 9 hours 11 minutes 12 seconds
  
• October 2008 Catalina Channel: 14 hours 59 minutes 23 seconds
  
• July 2010 English Channel: 12 hours 32 minutes
  
• June 2011 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim: 8 hours 5 minutes 48 seconds at the age of 54
  

11. Darren Miller

• April 2010 Tampa Bay Marathon Swim: 11 hours 10 minutes
  
• July 2010 English Channel: 12 hours 4 minutes
  
• August 2011 Catalina Channel: 9 hours 15 minutes 33 seconds
  
• June 2012 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim: 8 hours 3 minutes at the age of 29
  

12. Barbara Held

• August 2010 Catalina Channel: 9 hours 36 minutes
  
• April 2011 Tampa Bay Marathon Swim: 10 hours 21 minutes
  
• June 2011 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim 8 hours 12 minutes
  
• August 2012 English Channel: 12 hours 10 minutes at the age of 58
  

13. Cindy Walsh

• July 2005 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim: 8 hours 0 minutes
  
• From 2007 to 2008 Catalina Channel 2 times including 13 hours 56 minutes
  
• April 2011 Tampa Bay Marathon Swim: 10 hours 50 minutes
  
• September 2012 English Channel: 14 hours 19 minutes at the age of 49
  

14. Ron Collins

• April 1998 Tampa Bay Marathon Swim: 9 hours 52 minutes
  
• June 2002 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim: 8 hours 26 minutes
  
• September 2004 English Channel: 14 hours 7 minutes
  
• September 2013 Catalina Channel: 10 hours 5 minutes 29 seconds at the age of 51
  

15. Doug McConnell

• April 2011 Tampa Bay Marathon Swim: 10 hours 44 minutes
  
• August 2011 English Channel: 14 hours 18 minutes
  
• September 2012 Catalina Island: 12 hours 41 minutes
  
• June 2014 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim: 9 hours 39 minutes at the age of 56
  

16. Anthony McCarley

• April 2011 Tampa Bay Marathon Swim: 11 hours 26 minutes
  
• August 2013 English Channel: 13 hours 29 minutes
  
• June 2014 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim: 9 hours 40 minutes
  
• July 2014 Catalina Channel: 13 hours 3 seconds at the age of 54
  

17. Bridgette Hobart

• April 2011 Tampa Bay Marathon Swim: 11 hours 51 minutes
  
• June 2012 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim: 8 hours 50 minutes
  
• October 2012 Catalina Channel: 11 hours 27 minutes
  
• September 2014 English Channel: 13 hours 28 minutes at the age of 51
  

18. Katie Benoit

• June 2010 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim: 8 hours 44 minutes
  
• August 2010 Catalina Channel: 10 hours 41 minutes
  
• July 2012 English Channel: 13 hours 13 minutes
  
• April 2015 Tampa Bay Marathon Swim: 12 hours 2 minutes at the age of 36
  

19. Chris Burke

• April 2013 Tampa Bay Marathon Swim: 12 hours 16 minutes
  
• June 2014 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim: 7 hours 43 minutes
  
• September 2014 Catalina Channel: 11 hours 23 minutes
  
• July 2015 English Channel: 10 hours 44 minutes at the age of 53
  

20. Dr. Mark Smitherman

• April 2013 Tampa Bay Marathon Swim: 12 hours 33 minutes
  
• June 2014 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim: 8 hours 10 minutes
  
• September 2014 Catalina Channel: 11 hours 52 minutes
  
• September 2015 English Channel: 12 hours 32 minutes at the age of 57
  

21. Marcy MacDonald, DPM

• Between 1993 and 2009 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim 5 times including in 7 hours 38 minutes
  
• Between 1994 and 2014 English Channel 15 times including 10 hours 33 minutes
  
• June 2013 Catalina Channel: 12 hours 9 minutes
  
• December 2017 Tampa Bay Marathon Swim: 9 hours 13 minutes at the age of 54
  

22. James Loreto

• October 2016 20 Bridges Manhattan Swim: 8 hours 9 minutes
  
• July 2017 Catalina Channel: 11 hours 48 minutes
  
• April 2018 Tampa Bay Marathon Swim: 12 hours 28 minutes
  
• July 2018 English Channel: 14 hours 35 minutes at the age of 45
  

23. Maureen Montgomery

• October 2016 20 Bridges Manhattan Swim: 8 hours 4 minutes
  
• September 2017 Catalina Channel: 11 hours 30 minutes
  
• April 2015 Tampa Bay Marathon Swim: 11 hours 55 minutes
  
• August 2018 English Channel: 12 hours 30 minutes at the age of 57
  

24. Kristian O'Donovan

• August 2015 English Channel: 13 hours 48 minutes
  
• March 2017, Tampa Bay Marathon Swim: 11 hours 32 minutes
• June 2017 20 Bridges Manhattan Swim: 7 hours 45 minutes 37 seconds
  
• September 2018 Catalina Channel: 10 hours 45 minutes 19 seconds at the age of 38
  

25. Marcia Cleveland

• July 1994 English Channel: 9 hour 44 minute
  
• Between 1991 and 1996, Manhattan Island Marathon Swim 3 times including 5 hours 57 minutes 53 seconds
  
• August 2005 Catalina Channel: 8 hours 56 minutes 10 seconds
  
• December 2018 Tampa Bay Marathon Swim: 11 hours 19 minutes at the age of 54
  

26. Jenny Smith

• August 2017 English Channel: 11 hours 13 minutes at the age of 43
  
• October 2017 Catalina Channel: 10 hours 45 minutes at the age of 43
  
• June 2018 20 Bridges Manhattan Island Swim: 8 hours 52 minutes at the age of 44
  
• April 2019: Tampa Bay Marathon Swim: 12 hours 34 minutes at the age of 45
  
  

27. Karen Zemlin

• June 2014 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim: 7 hours 23 minutes 44 seconds at the age of 46
  
• April 2018 Tampa Bay Marathon Swim: 9 hours 55 minutes at the age of 50
  
• September 2018 Catalina Channel: 9 hours 44 minutes 31 seconds at the age of 50
  
• August 2019 English Channel: 10 hours 17 minutes at the age of 51
  
  

28. John Muenzer

• 18 April 2009 Tampa Bay Marathon Swim: 12 hours 7 minutes at the age of 47
  
• 21 July 2009 English Channel: 13 hours 12 minutes 2 seconds at the age of 47
  
• 25 August 2018 20 Bridges Manhattan Island Swim: 9 hours 22 minutes 31 seconds at the age of 57
  
• 3 August 2022 Catalina Channel: 10 hours 15 minutes 47 seconds at the age of 60
  

Unofficial Member

• Arnie Bellini, note 1
  
• September 2013 English Channel: 16 hours 6 minutes 26 seconds
  
• April 2014 Tampa Bay Marathon Swim: 16 hours 17 minutes
  
• June 2014 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim: 9 hours 29 minutes
  
• Note 1: Catalina Channel was an unofficial, non-sanctioned crossing Catalina Channel observed by Bart Cobb and recognized for the purposes of the Grand Slam by Ron Collins.
  

Oceans Grand Slam

The Oceans Grand Slam is a open water swimming solo challenge to complete the Oceans Seven in addition to completing a 1 km swim anywhere within the Arctic Circle and the Antarctic Circle in the Southern Ocean. The Oceans Grand Slam is open water swimming's equivalent of the Explorers Grand Slam or Adventurers Grand Slam (an adventurer's solo challenge to reach the North Pole, the South Pole and complete all of the mountaineering Seven Summits. Oceans Grand Slam was inspired by a report on the Explorer Grand Slam (see here).

External links

• Jenny Smith Becomes First American to Complete Enduroman Arch to Arc Triathlon
• The Muenzer Family - Mega Logistics At Play Across The Catalina Channel
• Marathon Muenzer Goes Mega
• Molokai for Marcia
• Qing Li Achieves Fastest Iron Icewoman Turnaround in History
• Boguslaw Ogrodnik Is Extreme Many Times Over
• Anthony McCarley Talks About Giving Back On WOWSA Live
• Fastest Times Of The Grand Slam Of Open Water Swimming
• Chris Burke Hits Grand Slam En Route To Triple Crown
• Mark Smitherman Completes Triple Crown And Grand Slam
• Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming
• Feeling Alive And Well In The Open Water
• Distance Matters
• Triple Crown Of Open Water Swimming Clarification
• How a vivid dream led the first Jordanian to Explorers Grand Slam
• World Open Water Swimming Association
• They Hit Grand Slams In The Open Water
• Maureen Montgomery's Got It. The Triple Crown Q&A
• Grand Slam Of Open Water Swimming Updated List
• The Year David Was Barraesque
• Marcia Cleveland Hits A Grand Slam
• Dr. Jamie Proffit Wins Coast To Coast