When Louise Hyder-Darlington envisioned herself swimming around our nation’s stately Statue of Liberty she wasn’t intimidated by the mass of bodies that would likely swim over her, pushing her deeper into the water, nor was she concerned about the likelihood of taking in a mouthful of potentially polluted water or fighting a possible 6-mph turning tide. It was the initial 5- or 6-foot plunge from the side of a ferry that had her shook.
As it turns out, the 53-year old librarian in Elizabethtown College’s High Library stressed for nothing. This summer, the NYC Swim organization’s circumnavigation of Liberty Island began with a leap from a pontoon that floated just inches above the water of the Hudson River.
The Liberty Island Swim was a first for Hyder-Darlington who, a few years ago, used her 50th birthday as a jumping off point, so to speak, to a healthier lifestyle. Already running and riding bike, she was intrigued by open water swimming, which is just as it sounds—rather than long strokes in a climate-controlled pool, swimming takes place in lakes, channels and rivers. One of the most famous: the crossing of the English Channel.
As Hyder-Darlington scanned the Internet looking for a race, there was one on the NYC Swim website that caught her attention. “There was something about the Statue of Liberty race that just struck a chord,” she said. “…something about swimming around the island and Lady Liberty.”
Because of the Hudson River current and tides, the cut-off for the Statue of Liberty swim is 45 minutes. Those who are too slow are pulled from the water. To qualify, competitors must prove that they can swim 1,650 yards—a certified aquatic mile—in 35 minutes or better. The swim must be timed by a certified lifeguard.
“I had been swimming during my lunch hour in the College pool but had never timed myself Hyder-Darlington said. A quick Google search told her a mile was 66 laps in the E-town pool. College lifeguard Shaun Martin fulfilled her certification requirement.
On April 5, while coworkers ate lunch in the Marketplace, Hyder-Darlington slipped into the 25-yard pool and on “go” started her swim. At the end of the 66 laps, she looked up to see Martin perched at the edge wearing a big grin. Thirty-four minutes! She had reached her goal with 60 seconds to go.
I slapped the water like you see Olympic swimmers doing.”
“It was exhilarating!” she said of her qualifying time. “I slapped the water like you see Olympic swimmers doing.”
Now qualified, Hyder-Darlington paid her $100 entry fee and set out to see Miss Liberty from a vantage point available to just a select few.
Over the next few months, she trained with Mid-Atlantic Multi Sport, an organization that teaches open swim techniques to triathletes and other multisport competitors. “Open water swimming is scary,” Hyder-Darlington said, noting that the pool walls and predicable depth help keep those fears at bay.
Chester County’s 535-acre Marsh Creek Lake was her open water training ground. She learned to keep directional buoys in sight as she turned her head every other stroke to breath, and she ran drills, swimming directly at other swimmers, dealing with tangled arms and legs.
The week before the Liberty Island swim, Hyder-Darlington vacationed at the Maine cottage of retired College professor Ernest Blaisdell. The cottage sits right on the shore of Beech Hill Pond, a 1,351-acre, 4-mile long body of water that is 104 feet at its deepest. It was a windy day, stirring up small white caps, when Hyder-Darlington set out across the pond on a 1-mile training swim. As she pulled back on long strokes, took breaths in rhythm and kicked her now-stronger legs, panic bubbled up. Rather than stopping she began an internal dialogue. “You can do this,” Hyder-Darlington remembered saying to herself over and over. Eventually she calmed down and finished the swim. Looking back, she credits the training.
A week later, on Friday, Aug. 16, as the ferry made its way to Liberty Island, Hyder-Darlington joined in the nervous chatter of the competing swimmers. Some, like her, were attempting their first open water swim. Others had numerous races under their belts and were aiming for PRs (personal records). Hyder-Darlington, now fully “hooked on open water swimming” just wanted to finish and have fun.
When she reached the halfway point of her swim, on the far side of Liberty Island, Hyder-Darlington said she paused and looked up. It was the first time she had ever been to the Statue of Liberty and, here she was, 52 years old, viewing the impressive symbol of freedom and strength from the waters of the Hudson River.
Her time: 41:19.