Zane Steenrod
Zane Steenrod was an American open water swimmer and a telephone lineman from Santa Barbara, California who pioneered different ocean swims in California.
Ocean Swimming Career
Steenrod attempted to swim the first known crossing attempt of the Channel Islands on 23 August 1926 from Santa Cruz Island to Santa Barbara on the California mainland, but he was pulled from the water after five hours.
On 26 September 1926, Steenrod again tried swimming from Point Diablo on Santa Cruz Island to the California mainland. This time, he brought two other solo swimmers with him: Alan Barker and 17-year-old Gertrude “Teddy” Crawford. Crawford gave up after 3 hours and 5 miles, Barker remained in the water completing 8 miles in 5 hours while Steenrod completed 12 miles in 9 hours 42 minutes before retiring. Members from the Santa Barbara Kelp Club supported the three swimmers and decided to take over from Steenrod finished and turn it in to an 8-person relay. The names of the 5 relay members is lost in history, but the team finished on 27 September 1926 at 6:01 pm after 18 hours 27 minutes.
In December 1926, Steenrod competed in a 12-mile marathon swimming competition held along the Southern California coast. The race started in Santa Barbara and finished in Carpinteria. Three swimmers, Marjorie Buffington, Steenrod and Jean McKensie started the race. Rough water forced Buffington out at Serena while Steenrod lasted until Summerland. 19-year-old McKensie was the only person to finish. This swim is considered the first or among the first successful solo marathon swims in the history of Southern California.
