Park to Park Swim - Girl Power!

This weekend I participated in a 2 mile swim up the Hudson. Swimming in the Hudson is not as bad as it seems -sure, the course goes past the waste treatment facility plant, you come out of the water with a nice dark film on your face, oh, and the water was compromised because of all of the rain this week...but other than that it's actually quite nice.
The race was won by Australian open water swimming legend Penny Palfrey and I was able to make a late surge for second place by overtaking local "Hudson Queen" Rhondi Davies.
For anyone looking for some open water races to help prep for summer triathlons, this series has a great variety. Go to NYCswim.org for more details.

Below is the race re-cap from the NYCSwim e-newsletter
This week, the women ruled the waterways around Manhattan as they swept the top three overall positions at Sunday's Park to Park Swim. The 2-mile distance must have seemed like a warm-up for Penny Palfrey, the overall winner of the day and the second place solo finisher of last week's Manhattan Island Marathon Swim. She was followed out of the water by Megan Kelly and Rondi Davies, both veterans of NYC Swim events.

The race got off to a late start at West Harlem Piers Park as winds from the north and heavy rains upstate during the week conspired to slow the tidal change. The sluggish current meant that the fast swim that had been predicted took longer than expected, but that didn't stop nearly 150 swimmers from getting to the finish at 165th Street in Fort Washington Park.

Congratulations to all of the participants, and our sincere thanks to the boat captains, kayakers, and other volunteers who made this race possible. Full results and photos from the event are available on our website.
Park to Park Swim Top Female Finishers
1. Penny Palfrey, 42:16:45
2. Megan Kelly, 43:58:30
3. Rondi Davies, 44:02:55

Park to Park Swim Top Male Finishers
1. John Acton , 44:35:25
2. Jon Wilkinson, 44:51:05
3. John Sullivan, 46:10:15