20 Bridges Swim Around Manhattan

On 10 October 2026 I swam the 20 Bridges course around Manhattan Island, heading up the East River, through the Harlem and down the Hudson, and finishing 8 hours and 9 minutes later with a full circumnavigation of the island, completing the second leg of the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming.

It was a very different swim from the English Channel. Rather than a single crossing, this swim presents you with three distinct waterways, each with its own tide, current and character from the towers of the East River to the quieter, greener stretches of the Harlem and the long run home down the mighty Hudson.

It was some of the most extraordinary water I have ever swum in.

Why Manhattan?

After the English Channel, I wanted to take on another of the world’s iconic marathon swims. The 20 Bridges Swim is one of the three legs of the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming, alongside the English Channel and the Catalina Channel, and completing it means I now hold two of the three.

The planning was largely the same as in the Channel: thorough preparation guided by my coach Vlad, trust in the team, and when swimming, focus on one feed and one stroke at a time.

However, getting to full training after the Channel took longer than I had hoped.

In May 2025 I underwent rib-resection surgery to resolve the thoracic outlet issues that had troubled me for two years. The months that followed were spent rebuilding through long ocean sessions, structured pool work, my cold water acclimatisation and of course recovery sessions. Finishing Manhattan pain-free was the clearest measure I could have asked for of how successful that process has been.

The swim itself

The day began in near-perfect conditions, and I felt good from the outset, settling quickly into a strong rhythm up the East River and holding a pace that had us making very good time as the first of the bridges passed overhead.

The Harlem River was a different proposition. As I reached it on the slack tide, which meant the assistance I had enjoyed on the East River fell away and the next stretch had to be earned. This was where I needed to dig in a little, keeping my stroke together through the long run of bridges between Manhattan and the Bronx.

Turning into the Hudson changed everything. The tide kicked in almost immediately, and with the top half of the river sitting flat, it felt as though I was flying. That changed as we drew closer to Midtown. The river traffic built, the wind picked up, and the last hour became bumpy, and a bit of a push to the finish end.