Andy Donaldson, the Scottish-Australian marathon swimmer, conquered Manhattan Island waters with a record-breaking swim, despite battling illness.
The 33-year-old athlete clocked an impressive time of five hours, 41 minutes and 48 seconds to complete the 45.9km circuit, edging out the former record holder Oliver Wilkinson by a mere two minutes. Wilkinson’s 2011 record was shattered on Thursday when Andy embarked on his nighttime journey from 2am local time, swimming past New York’s iconic landmarks.
Braving currents that hit speeds of up to four knots, Mr. Donaldson counted on a seasoned crew consisting of skipper Sean Makofsky, Rondi Davies, president of New York Open Water (NYOW), kayaker Alex Arevalo, along with handlers Jay Prchal and Pete Bird.
Their meticulous strategy enabled Mr. Donaldson to reach velocities as high as 12kph.
After the feat, he acknowledged: “This was one of my toughest challenges yet, both physically and mentally.”
The strategic timing was crucial due to the tides of the three rivers influencing the swim, setting the stage for a record attempt.
Despite pre-event health struggles, the West Kilbride native persevered, commenting: “I’ve been struggling with illness leading up to the event, so it was really tough out there.”
Mr. Donaldson, who relocated to pursue professional swimming in 2013, boasts an additional three records to his name. In a remarkable endeavour last year, he set the fastest time for crossing the Cook Strait between the North and South islands of New Zealand, with a time of four hours, 33 minutes and 50 seconds.
An intrepid swimmer has set two records in the formidable Ocean’s Seven challenge, conquering seven of the world’s most treacherous channel swims, including the North Channel, the English Channel and the Strait of Gibraltar. Smashing the record for the shortest timespan to complete all swims, he accomplished this herculean task within just 355 days from August 7 2022 to July 27 2023.
Not only has he achieved this feat in record time, but he also boasts the fastest cumulative swim time across these challenging waters, clocking in at an astonishing 63 hours, two minutes and nine seconds. What’s more, he’s also topped British ranks by claiming the national record for crossing the English Channel.
Bursting with new ambition after setting his latest record, he aims to explore uncharted waters even further while championing causes close to his heart, such as ocean conservation and the mental wellbeing of young people.
He expressed heartfelt gratitude, saying: “I’m hugely grateful for my team and supporters – without them, this wouldn’t have been possible.”
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