The Baby Boomer Renaissance: The Boomer Chronicles

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

The Boomer Chronicles

Diana Nyad, Age 61, Swims 29 Hours Straight in Open Ocean

Posted: 09 Aug 2011 06:07 AM PDT

Long-distance swimming record holder Diana Nyad swam 29 hours straight this week. She’s 61 years old. She’s a hero.

Can you imagine swimming for 29 hours? I can’t. But back in 1979, when Nyad was a young woman, she swam from Bimini to Florida, setting a distance record for non-stop swimming without a wetsuit that still stands today. Many years later, when she turned 60, she wanted to find a way to maintain her youth and inspire other baby boomers to great goals. So she planned her “Xtreme Dream”: to swim the 103 miles between Havana, Cuba, and Florida. CNN wrote: “This time around the world-class endurance swimmer billed the attempt as a celebration of her life’s prime.” Last night, after battling currents, winds, and some physical ailments, she quit her swim halfway through. But I don’t see her as a quitter. I think she’s phenomenal. And she inspired tons of heartfelt sentiment across social media (see the Diana Nyad Facebook page for great examples!).

“I am not sad,” Nyad told CNN. “It was absolutely the right call.”

Read this inspiring post by Diana Nyad about what inspired her to attempt this feat (“Now I'm 61. Ancient by world-class athlete standards”).

Here’s a video from CNN.

Here’s a bio and pics of Diana Nyad from her website.

Diana Nyad’s Facebook page.

CNN will air Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s documentary, Diana Nyad: Xtreme Dream, on Saturday, September 17, 8 p.m. ET.

Photo above is from AARP.