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World Marathon Relay Swimming Records

The list below is a list of the marathon relay swimming records over 10 kilometers – done
without wetsuits and according to traditional English Channel swimming rules. With over 70%
of the Earth covered in water, the number of records and locations to swim are numerous and
potentially endless.

If you know of additional records or new records that have been set anywhere in the world,
please email the name of the world record holder, their country, date (month, day and year),
location, distance and official time to Open Water Source.

Longest 6-person Non-stop Open Water Swimming Relay in an Ocean (non-wetsuit,

traditional English Channel rules)
202 miles (325K) along the California coast between Santa Barbara and San Diego, 20
September 2010 by Tom Ball, Kurtis Baron, John Chung, Jim McConica, Jim Neitz and Mike
Shaffer (USA), 101 hours 39 minutes and 53 seconds (or 4 days 5 hours 39 minutes and 53
seconds).

Longest 6-person Non-stop Open Water Swimming Relay in a Lake (non-wetsuit,

traditional English Channel rules)
108 nautical miles (200K) in Lake Powell, Arizona, USA between 24-26 September 2010, Vito
Bialla (USA), Phil Cutti (USA), Matthew Davie (USA), Edna Llorens (Mexico), Nora Toledano
(Mexico) and Patricia Kohlmann (Mexico) in 55 hours 20 minutes and 25 seconds.

Fastest 100K Relay (50 members)

Lake Cane, Florida, USA, 13 September 2010, 37:06 by Mike Marino, Tom Noonan, Skip
Yonchik, Andrea Ugazio, Fred Emke, Rick Stafford, Mark Weeks, John Keen, Larry Peck,
Scott Neumann, Mel Nash, Curtis Wagner, Kevin Anderson, Ben Ohe, Christopher Ohe,
George Mann, Walter Caldwell, Tom Knapp, Bruce Atlee, Walter Diloreto, Chris Gaw, Cleve
Cooney, Chris Bolfing, David Tattersall, Trung Lively, Frank Wan, Mike Koenig, Chuck Tanner
Jerry Krannebitter, Chris Scott, Hector Torres, James Hunter, Michael Napoli, Mark Myers,
Gene Augustin, Joe Moletteire, Joe Furstance, Mark Dickie, Danny Ellis, Rolando Davis,
Chris Iselin, Carlos Figueiredo, Justin Soto, Sean McCormack, Roy McConnell, John
Meisenheimer, Lucky Meisenheimer, Alan Lawson, Michael Rogers and Jake Meisenheimer.

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RECORDS IN EUROPE

English Channel (between England and France)

Fastest One-way Relay (1st leg 2-way): USA National Swim Team (USA), 1990,
England/France, 6:52
Fastest Two-way Relay: USA National Swim Team (USA), 1990, 14:18
First Two-way Ladies Relay: Great Britain, 2004, 19:07
Fastest Ladies Two-way Relay: Altamar 66K (Mexico), 2007, 18:59
First Ladies Three-way Relay: 2004, 32:31
Fastest Four-way Relay: Sport City (Mexico) by Jorge Urreta, Luis Pineyro, Omar Díaz
González, Alejandro Moreno, Mayalen Noriega and Mariel Hawley, 2007,
England/France/England/France/England, 42:11
Fastest Two-way France/England/France Relay: Sun Rice Australia (Australia), 1993, 20:40
Fastest Three-way England/France/England/France Relay: Sport City (Mexico), 2007, 30:07
Fastest Three-way France/England/France/England Relay: Sun Rice Australia (Australia),
1993, 32:24
Fastest Junior Relay: Egyptian LDSF Juniors (Egypt), 1999, 7:43
Fastest Junior Relay France/England: BLDSA Juniors (UK), 1984, 8:46
Youngest Relay: Bristol English Channel Swim Team by Angus Rowley, Danny Pirret, Lewis
Clarke, Eleanor Aris, Drummond McMillan, James Elmer, Alexander Chantler and Rebecca
Sheppard, 4 September 2010, 13:30
First Medley Relay: Susan Ractliffe (backstroke), Pete May (breaststroke), Dr. Julie
Bradshaw (butterfly), Kim Owen (freestyle), 18 September 2010; 11:29 [one hour of each
stroke in traditional individual medley order]

Round Jersey Island (41 miles, British Channel Island)

Fastest Relay Circumnavigation: Royal Air Force (Great Britain), 1999, 9:43.35

Irish Sea Six-person Relay

90K / 56 miles (Ireland), 2003, 29:56

Round Ireland Stage Relay Swim (1500K, Ireland)

First Circumnavigation: Nuala Moore (Dingle), Anne-Marie Ward, Ryan Ward, Ian Claxton,
Tom Waters, Henry O’Donnell (Ireland), 2006

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Longest Non-stop Open Water Swimming Relay (unlimited athletes, wetsuits allowable)
Camlough Lake (Ireland), 680K over 10 days by 220 swimmers starting on 9 September 2009

Malta to Sicily (93K, from St. Julians Bay in Malta to Marina di Modica in Italy)
Fastest Crossing: Australian National Team (Melissa Cunningham, Shelley Taylor-Smith, Joe
Mitchell and Grant Robinson), 19-20 July 1996, 19:11

Lake Windermere (66 miles across Lake Windermere, England)

First 6-way Relay Swim: 1st Ladies Relay (Great Britain), 2007, 32:32

Lough Erne (50 miles in Ireland)

First Relay Swim: 1st Ladies Relay (Great Britain), 2007, 21:59

Loch Ness (Scotland)

Fastest 2-way Crossing: 2005, 24:10
First 3-way Crossing: 2005. 34:32

72 miles from Anamur Burnu, Turkey to Kyrennia, Cyprus (6-person relay)

The Royal Air Force, 25 – 27 August 1971, 57 hours

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RECORDS IN THE AMERICAS

Catalina Channel
Fastest Male Catalina-Mainland Relay: Team 252 (USA), 1991, 7:11:05
Fastest Male Mainland-Catalina Relay: Team 252 (USA), 1991, 7:19:01
Fastest Male 60 & Over Catalina-Mainland Relay: Polar Bears (USA), 1984, 15:09:21
Fastest Male 60 & Over Mainland-Catalina Relay: Polar Bears (USA), 1985, 14:31:37
Fastest Female Mainland-Catalina Relay: Pomona Pitzer (USA), 1994, 8:27:12
Fastest Female Catalina-Mainland Relay: Lakewood Aquatic Club (USA), 1995, 7:04:00
Fastest Female Under 20 Mainland-Catalina Relay: Pomona College (USA), 1983, 9:53:12
Fastest Female Under 20 Catalina-Mainland Relay: Lakewood Aquatic Club (USA), 1995,
7:04:00
Fastest Female 50-59 Catalina-Mainland Relay: Mighty Mermaids (USA), 2010, 9:19:44
Fastest Mixed 3/3 (3 male and 3 female) Overall Catalina-Mainland Relay: Top Gun (USA),
1997, 7:30:36
Fastest Mixed 3/3 (3 male and 3 female) Overall Mainland-Catalina Relay: USA National
Team (USA), 1989, 7:02:45
Fastest Mixed 3/3 (3 male and 3 female) 30-30 Catalina-Mainland Relay: Solo Wannabe’s I
USA), 1998, 12:06:29
Fastest Mixed 3/3 (3 male and 3 female) 60 & Over Catalina-Mainland Relay: Blues Turning
Gray (USA), 1998, 13:08:47
Fastest Open Overall Catalina-Mainland Relay: Mira Costa / Surfside (USA), 1995, 7:04:00
Fastest Double-Crossing Male Overall Relay: Team 252 (USA), Mainland-Catalina-Mainland,
1996, 15:30:06
Fastest Double-Crossing Mixed 3/3 (3 male and 3 female) Overall Relay: Top Gun (USA),
Mainland-Catalina-Mainland, 1997, 14:46:56

Santa Barbara Channel (California Channel Islands, U.S.A.)

Fastest Relay Crossing from Santa Cruz Island to Mainland (22.2 nautical miles): Beau
Gatch, Herb Barthels, Pam Parthels, Jeff Farrell, Keith Martin and Steven Snyder (USA),
1984, 11:47
Fastest Relay Crossing from San Clemente Island to Mainland (55 nautical miles): Jim
Fitzpatrick, Brendan Halffman, Mike Suttle, Craig Taylor, Dave Yudovin, Scott Zornig (USA),
2002, 33:08
Fastest Relay from Santa Barbara Island to Mainland (38 nautical miles): Peter Attia, Jason

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Fox, Marc Lewis, Steve Lowe, Forrest Nelson and Ed Reynolds (USA), 2006, 18:44

Longest 6-person Non-stop Open Water Swimming Relay in an Ocean (non-wetsuit,

traditional English Channel rules)
202 miles (325K) along the California coast between Santa Barbara and San Diego as of 19
September 2010 by Tom Ball, Kurtis Baron, John Chung, Jim McConica, Jim Neitz and Mike
Shaffer.

Longest 6-person Non-stop Open Water Swimming Relay in a Lake (non-wetsuit,

traditional English Channel rules)
108 nautical miles (200Ks) in Lake Powell, Arizona, USA between 24-26 September 2010,
Vito Bialla (USA), Phil Cutti (USA), Matthew Davie (USA), Edna Llorens (Mexico), Nora
Toledano (Mexico) and Patricia Kohlmann (Mexico) in 55 hours 20 minutes and 25 seconds.

Lake Travis Relay (12 miles, Austin, Texas, U.S.A.)

Fastest Crossing: Ace & His D.A.M. Friends (T. Glenn, M. Jacobsson, Eney Jones, R. Killeen,
K. McClelland, and Bobby Patten), USA, 2008, 3:50:24.99

Kaieiewaho Channel (72 miles from Oahu to Kauai, Hawaii, U.S.A.)

First Crossing: Linda Kaiser, Mike Spalding, Billy Brown, Michelle Macy, Randy Brown and
Joel Swartz (USA), 20 – 22 November 2010, 47:55

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RECORDS IN OCEANIA

Longest 6-person Non-stop Open Water Swimming Relay in a Lake (non-wetsuit,

traditional English Channel rules)
120.6K (74.9 miles) three-way crossing of Lake Taupo, New Zealand by two teams in January
2009:
First Male Relay Across Lake Taupo: Chris Palfrey (Australia), Dougal Hunt (Australia), Mark
Cockroft (New Zealand), Steve Junk (Australia) and Stephen Spence (Australia) in 33:31.15
First Female Relay Across Lake Taupo: Penny Palfrey (Australia), Julie Bradshaw (Great
Britain), Michelle Macy (USA), Heather Osbourne (New Zealand), Barbara Pellick (Australia)
and Lucy Roper (Great Britain) in 33:33.43

Fiji Swims (18K relay, Viti Levu to Beachcomber Island in Fiji)

Fastest Crossing from Viti Levu (main island) to Beachcomber Island: 'No! We’re Team
Queensland' (Trudee Hutchinson, Stacey Hansford, Maddison Allen, Alexandra Goddard and
Jamie-Leigh Austin), 2008, 3:55.

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