Swimmers and paddlers under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
2024 APPLICATION: CLICK HERE
2024 Swimmer Assignments
payment links: deposit / balance due
Ederle Swim Results
 
TIMELINE

January 1-31, 2024: Applications accepted for 20 Bridges, 40 Bridges, Ederle-Burke, and 8 Bridges marathon events.

February 28, 2024: Dates for 20 Bridges, 40 Bridges, Ederle-Burke, and 8 Bridges marathon events are assigned.

March 14, 2024: Deposit due (USD $750).*

April 15, 2024: Full entry fees due for swims through August.

May 15, 2024: Full entry fees due for swims in September or later.

May 1, 2024: Crew registration deadline.

*The planning process imposes considerable expense to NYOW. Therefore, we are unable to issue refunds of the $750 deposit due to cancellation for any reason.


Details

Swim date: Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Location: Battery Park, NY, to Sandy Hook, NJ

Distance: 16.1 miles

Water Temperature: Historically this event has taken place in the fall, with water temperatures of 60 to 68˚F.

Number of participants: This event is run on the “quiet swim” model with two or three swimmers per date.


2024 Fees and Withdrawal Policy

The cost for the Ederle-Burke Swim 2024 is $4,500 per solo; $2,700 per swimmer (maximum 2 swimmers) tandem. There is no cost to apply. Note that this event is contingent on having a minimum field of two swimmers. Payments are due according to the payment schedule detailed in the Timeline, above.

Entry fees include a dedicated support boat (RHIB), paddler, observer, and GPS tracking. Swimmers must provide their own support crew consisting of one or two individuals older than 16 years for the escort boat. Tandem pairs are required to have one crew person (only).

Swimmers who withdraw for any reason may be eligible for a partial refund, as follows:

  • Withdrawal before full payment deadline: swimmer gets a full refund minus the $750 deposit.
  • Withdrawal after full payment deadline up until 2 weeks before the assigned date swim: If the withdrawing swimmer’s spot can be filled from the waitlist or by a late entry, the swimmer gets a full refund minus the $750 deposit. If the swimmer cannot be replaced, NYOW will retain $2,000 and refund the difference.
  • Withdrawal within 13 days of the assigned date swim: If the withdrawing swimmer’s spot can be filled from the waitlist or by a late entry, the swimmer gets a full refund minus $1,500. If the swimmer cannot be replaced, NYOW will retain $2,500 and refund the difference.

About

This is a 16.1-mile swim from Battery Park in New York City to Sandy Hook, New Jersey. Swimmers will enter the water at the Battery, swim into Buttermilk Channel around Governors Island (unless conditions warrant staying in the Hudson), through the Narrows, and out of the Lower Bay towards Sandy Hook. Points of interest include the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Governors Island, the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, and Romer Shoal Lighthouse.

The swim is named for two pioneering women in the sport of marathon swimming. Gertrude “Trudy” Ederle swam this course in 1925 in 7 hours and 11 minutes. According to family lore, her nephew Bob described this swim as a “midnight frolic,” and a “warm-up” for her swim across the English Channel. The following year, Ederle became the first woman to swim the English Channel on August 6, 1926 in 14 hours and 36 minutes.

Eighty-five years later, an energetic teacher named Eileen Burke jumped into the water off Battery Park on a raw October morning, and stood on the shores of Sandy Hook 5 hours and 45 minutes later. Eileen was drawn to this swim’s history, the challenge of swimming such a distance in October, and like Trudy Ederle, use it to train for the channel. While Eileen didn’t make it to the shores of France in 2012, she harnessed the disappointment to become the first woman to swim the 20-mile P2P swim across Cape Cod Bay.

In 2013, Eileen was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She did not let the pain of chemotherapy get in the way of her dedication to her family and the open water community. She participated in a relay swim around Manhattan with her swimming partner and friend Mo Siegel in 2014, served on the board of the Coney Island Brighton Beach Open Water Swimmers (CIBBOWS), and was a constant volunteer and smiling face at CIBBOWS and NYC Swim events.

On October 3, 2015, Eileen passed away peacefully at home, leaving behind her beloved husband David, a daughter Ann Marie, and a large hole in the open water swimming community. We hope that this swim will continue to serve her legacy as a friend and mentor to all swimmers.

Map: download PDF of Map