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BALTIMORE — A large pod of dolphins crossed Katie Pumphrey’s path as the ultra-marathon swimmer from Baltimore was completing another remarkable task on Monday.
A month after completing a 24-mile swim from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, Pumphrey took on another swimathon.
She completed a 20-mile swim from Cantina Island to Rancho Palos Verdes, a city on the coast of south Los Angeles.
Pumphrey began her journey through the North Pacific Ocean at 10:30 p.m. on Sunday. Her swim took more than 14 hours to complete.
She was accompanied by a three-man crew, including her husband and two kayakers. A 65-foot dive boat piloted the mission.
This was Pumphrey’s second time completing the swim, the first time being in 2018.
“The Catalina Channel is truly so beautiful & it was such an amazing swim when I did it in 2018 – with bioluminescence sparkles in the water every stroke in the night hours, the most beautiful sunrise, huge schools of fish, a giant pod of dolphins, and gorgeous water,” Pumphrey said. “I am excited to revisit this swim with so much more knowledge, experience, and confidence. Every swim is unique – even in the same stretch of water- so I can’t wait!”
To track Katie Pumphry’s progress in real-time, click the link here.
For this swim, Pumphrey wore a black and yellow swimsuit, resembling the Baltimore flag, with unique imagery showcasing Charm City’s culture. The Maryland blue crab, the black-eyed Susan, and the legendary Baltimore salt box are just a few of the objects scattered over Pumphrey’s swimsuit. It was designed by Sarah Bolton, a Baltimore-based illustrator.
In 2021, Pumphrey became the 73rd woman in history to complete The Three Swims, the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming.
The Triple Crown is a marathon swimming contest in the English Channel between England and France, the Catalina Channel in California, and a 28.5-mile swim in Manhattan, New York City.
To help support the history maker’s 2024 swim season and future endeavors, you can donate to her gofundme. With a goal of $15,000, 10% of all funds collected will be donated to the Maryland Tough Baltimore Strong Key Bridge Fund.
Pumphrey was the first person to complete the 24-mile swim from the Bay Bridge to the Inner Harbor on June 25, which took her 13 hours and 54 minutes.
She dived into the Bay at Sandy Point State Park at 3:19 a.m. and finished the swim around 5 p.m. with dozens of supporters cheering her on.
Pumphrey said the swim was her love letter to Baltimore and a celebration of the harbor’s swimmable status.
Pumphrey spoke with WJZ anchor Denise Koch about why she wanted to swim to the Inner Harbor and her inspiration to finish.
“I love swimming so much,” Pumphrey said. “It’s woven into my life. I love training. I love being in the water.”
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