Mighty Mermaids

Mighty Mermaids, six U.S. Masters Swimming national champions and record holders

Mighty Mermaids at the 2014 Lake Travis Relay in Lake Travis, Texas

Mighty Mermaids at the 2014 Lake Travis Relay in Lake Travis, Texas that includes 60-year-old Nancy Steadman Martin, 60-year-old Christie Ciraulo, 56-year-old Jenny Cook, 57-year-old Tracy Grilli, 58-year-old Karen Einsidler, and 58-year-old Veronica Hibben

The Mighty Mermaids is the nickname of a fantastically fit female group of open water swimmers who have set records and won competitions from coast to coast.

Open Water Swimming Highlights

• On 8 July 2025, they completed a 40 km cross-border marathon swim In Search of Memphre in 14 hours 14 minutes with 68-year-old Tracy Best Grilli, 71-year-old Christie Ciraulo, 71-year-old Nancy Martin, 71-year-old Karen Einsidler, 69-year-old Veronica Hibben, and 47-year-old Elaine Kornbau Howley, piloted by Gary Coburn and Douglas Johnson with support crew member David Grilli.
• The Mighty Mermaids are a special team where age and competitiveness are their calling cards. The team consists of Christie Plank Ciraulo (55), Nancy Steadman Martin (54), Lisa Bennett (53), Jenny Cook (51), Karen Farnsworth Einsidler (53), Tracy Grilli (52) and Veronica Hibben (53). When Christie turned 50, she dreamed to organize a group of fast women in their 50's to swim together on a major open water swimming relay. Christie was looking for something more than just pool swimming. She introduced herself to Tracy and Nancy and kept in touch for over a year before the Trans Tahoe Relay became a possibility. Jenny, Karen and Lisa were recruited and confirmed in short order. As Christie recalled, "Once our team was set, we were already picking out our team color, team suits and team nail polish.”
• They have finished fifth overall in the 2009 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim (7 hours 33 minutes).
• They finished 24th overall and 2nd fastest female team at the 2008 Trans Tahoe Relay.
• They made names for themselves in numerous individual open water swimming and pool swimming competitions.
• They did a 9:19:44 crossing of the Catalina Channel in setting the record for an all-female over-50 relay team by over an hour and a half.
• They finished fourth overall in the 2014 Lake Travis Relay in Austin, Texas.
• They completed the 57.9 km END-WET swim from North Dakota to Minnesota on 16 June 2018 in 10 hours 32 minutes.
• They became the first relay to successfully cross Lake Winnepesaukee in the state of New Hampshire.
• In their first collective foray, the Mighty Mermaids won their division at the 2008 Trans Tahoe Relay, finishing ahead of their nearest rival by 90 minutes, setting an unprecedented standard for their age-group. Their swim at the 2009 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim continues to showcase their ageless talents.

Christie Plank Ciraulo

• Ciraulo has earned 144 spots on the US Masters Swimming Top Ten lists and numerous World Top Ten rankings.
• Ciraulo won USMS national championships in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 2008 and 2009.
• Ciraulo won her age group division at the Waikiki Roughwater Swim and several ocean swims in Manhattan Beach, Seal Beach, and Newport Beach in California.

Nancy Steadman Martin

Nancy (New Jersey) has swum along the Jersey shore since childhood. She has swum all over the world including an English Channel crossing in 2004, the 17.5-mile Ederle Swim in 2006, and across the Catalina Channel in 2008.

Lisa Bennett

Lisa (Virginia) is a US Masters Swimming and 3-time world record holder with 159 USMS Top Ten swims with numerous open water swimming victories, including being the first woman to win the Navy SEAL reunion swim.

Jenny Cook

Jenny (Los Angeles) is a national and world record holder in the pool who is taking her considerable swimming talents to the open water from California to New York.

Karen Farnsworth Einsilder

Karen (New Jersey) is a successful English Channel swimmer who several local open water swimming victories in between earning 132 USMS Top Ten positions and setting 9 world records and 19 world number one rankings. A breast cancer survivor, mother of triplets and an attorney, it is a wonder Karen has time to sleep.

Tracy Grilli

Tracy (New Hampshire) is the widely-recognized administrator for USMS in addition to having consistently placed on the world's top ten lists.

Veronica Hibben

Veronica (California) is a former world-class pool swimmer who won the 2011 and 2012 SPMS Open Water Series held in Southern California.

External links

• Phil White In Search of Memphre under Fair and Foul Conditions
• Christie Ciraulo, A Mighty Mermaid In The Open Water And Pool
• Get Them While They Are Still Available - A Limited Number of Swimmer Scout Slots In Search of Memphre
• Mighty Mermaids
• Mighty Mermaids Making Waves
• When Water Polo And Open Water Swimming Mix
• World Open Water Swimming Association
• Open Water Swimming
• Marathon Swimming
• The Age-Old Question - Terra Firma vs. Open Water
• Nicknames In The Open Water Swimming World
• Nicknames In The Open Water Swimming World
• Do You Know Nicknames Of Open Water Swimmers
• International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame
• International Swimming Hall of Fame
• Daily News of Open Water Swimming
• Kūlia i ka nu‘u In The Open Water
• As Seen On TV, Another Record Falls In Catalina
• Christie Plank Ciraulo, A Mighty Mermaid In The Pool
• Mighty Mermaids, Pretty In Pink, Ready To Race
• AquaTex Take Travis In Texas
• Stephen Carroll Leads Tampa Bay Marathon Swim
• Sandra Frimerman-Bergquist Gets To End First