BREMERTON, Wash. — Erika Norris swam from Bremerton to Seattle on Sunday in 4 hours, 9 minutes and 20 seconds, the Northwest Open Water Swimming Association said. The swim was a bit over 10 miles.
The Seattle woman is now the first person in more than half a century to swim from Bremerton to Alki Point. The”Amy Hiland swim” was named after the woman who last performed the feat in 1959.
Norris, from a group that’s trying to repopularize Northwest marathon swimming, expected to cover the 10.4 miles in about four hours. She dove in near the USS Turner Joy at about 10 a.m. in just a swimsuit, goggles and swim cap.
Marathons must be unassisted, and a wet suit would assist by providing warmth and buoyancy.
Norris, 31, is accomplished in the pool. She was a six-time NCAA All-American at New York University, which last year named her to the school’s hall of fame. She has never stroked this many miles in freezing Puget Sound, however.
“I really like swimming outside and in the open water,” Norris said. “In the pool it’s very competitive and you time yourself. If I want to enjoy swimming, I go outside.”
Norris was accompanied by two escort boats. Aboard one of them was Andrew Malinak, co-founder and president of Northwest Open Water Swimming Association. The 29-year-old mapped out Norris’ swim to capitalize on currents and keep her from getting mowed by ferries and freighters.
Norris and Malinak chose the Bremerton-Alki swim because it’s one of the shorter ones the organization sanctions.
Others include the Strait of Juan de Fuca (a difficult 10.4 miles), Bainbridge Island circumnavigation (25.5 miles), Seattle to Tacoma (18.8 miles), Kenmore to Renton (18.4 miles), around Mercer Island (12.5 miles) and Maury Island circumnavigation (14.2 miles).
Malinak, who completed three of the swims this year, said he had no doubts that Norris could go the distance and handle the cold.
The two are among a group that swims Saturday mornings at Alki Beach. Norris, a web and graphic designer, tagged along on most of Malinak’s training swims and a few weeks ago swam 6 1/2 miles on the west side of Bainbridge Island.
The Northwest was a magnet for marathon swimmers in the second half of the 1950s. Then interest died. Malinak and the organization seek to revive the open-water experience.
“It’s beautiful out there,” he said. “The water is clear, it’s clean, it’s never turbulent and terrifying. It’s a beautiful place to swim and enjoy the great scenery, even if it’s just 10 or 15 minutes at your local beach.”