Tom Hecker
Thomas Joseph Hecker is an American open water swimmer from California and observer with the Catalina Channel Swimming Federation.
Contents
Open Water Swimming Career
- He is a member and co-chairman of the La Jolla Cove Swim Club
- He is a member of the Half Century Club as one of the oldest swimmers to cross the English Channel, Catalina Channel and Cook Strait
- He is 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 hours 45 minute crossing of the Catalina Channel in 2009.
- He 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 crossed the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain to Morocco in 2006 in a time of 3 hours 40 minutes
- With his 17 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.
- He will serve as an escort kayaker in the 2017 Pan-American Colibrí Swim, a cross-border swim between the USA and Mexico and a charity swim to raise awareness and funds for the Colibri Center for Human Rights in the Pacific Ocean from Imperial Beach near San Diego, California, USA to Tijuana, Mexico on 5 May 2017.
- He was a member of the ATI Team 1, a 6-person team that completed a 74.7 km circumnavigation swim relay around Santa Catalina Island in the Pacific Ocean off of Southern California on 16 September 2018 in 31 hours 53 minutes 35 seconds and included Gary Workman, Forrest Nelson, Kris Berglund, Lynn Kubasek, and Sabrina Young.
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
Pan-American Colibrí Swim
The Pan-American Colibrí Swim is a cross-border swim by a group of ocean swimmers from five nations with the purpose to raise awareness and funds for the Colibri Center for Human Rights in the Pacific Ocean between Imperial Beach near San Diego, California, USA and finishing at Playas de Tijuana in Tijuana, Mexico held on 5 May 2017, starting near the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve. Its members include Kimberley Chambers (New Zealand), Oded Rahav (Israel), Jean Craven (South Africa), Antonio Argüelles, (Mexico), Nicolene Steynberg (South Africa), Rene Martínez Saenz (Mexico), Ben Enosh (Israel), Ryan Nelson (USA), Melissa King (USA), Kamini Moodley (South Africa), Neil Macaskill (South Africa), Luc Chetboun (Israel), Nora Toledano (Mexico), Mariel Hawley (Mexico), Dan Simonelli (USA), and Ben Enosh (USA/Israel). They will be supported and escorted by escort kayakers Billy Carlson (USA), Matt Donoghue (USA), Haden Ware (USA), Anna Lopez and the Out of the Boat Team (Mexico), Kala Sherman-Presser (USA), Tom Hecker (USA), and Kevin Eslinger (USA).
Video
The 7.9 km 3 hour 3 minute Pan-American Colibrí Swim, a cross-border swim and charity swim in the Pacific Ocean from Imperial Beach near San Diego, California, USA to Playas de Tijuana in Tijuana, Mexico on 5 May 2017.
External links
- Doc Counsilman Helped Usher In An Increasingly Graying Trend In Channel Swimming
- Robin Hipolito Pays It Forward Across The Catalina Channel
- Cargo Clogs Catalina Creating Chaos - But Catalina Channel Crossings Continue
- Open Water Swimming
- Catalina Channel Swimming Federation
- World Open Water Swimming Association
- La Jolla Cove 10 Mile Relay Returns In September – Registration Open
- Lynn Kubasek, The Mother Of All Volunteers
- Without Great Solitude, No Serious Work Is Possible
- Pan-American Colibrí Swim Crosses Borders
- Madswimmer, Always Swimming For A Cause
- Tom Hecker Crosses Another One
- Pan-American Colibri Crossing
- Colibrí Center for Human Rights
- World Open Water Swimming Association
- Finishing Strongly In The Second Half Of Life
- Catalina Channel Swimming Federation
- 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
- Channel Swimming Association
- Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming
- Open Water Swimming
- Oceans Seven List - September 2012
- Toes In The Water
- Triple Crowners Showcase Their Fountain Of Youth - Age of Triple Crowners
- Tandem Times Two Triumphant
- Toshio Ogawa Takes 11 Years To Cross The Cook Strait
- Oldest Individuals To Swim Across The World's Channels
- Dan Simonelli On The Pan-American Colibrí Swim
- Meditation In The Open Water
- Swimming Together In Pan-American Colibrí Swim
- Pan-American Colibrí Swim Completed
- 17th Annual La Jolla Cove 10 Mile Relay
- Never Too Old, Facing Challenges With Pat Gallant-Charette
- Lynn Kubasek Is Always At Our Side
