Horse racing, alpine skiing, and beauty pageants. Surfing, car racing, and snooker. Believe it or not, all of these activities have at least one commonality. In each sport or activity, you could earn a Triple Crown title. In this context, three is not a crowd and two out of three won’t cut it. On three separate occasions, athletes (and animals) perform at an elite level in a variety of settings.

Including open ocean.

My personal triple crown of open water swimming events includes various one-mile open water races, the infamous Gatorman 3-mile competition, and completing the La Jolla Cove 10-mile relay solo. If I had a triple crown of swim locations, this would include Midwestern lakes, the Pacific Ocean, and in a few weeks, the Caribbean. Recently, I’ve been searching for an open water swim race; something longer and also challenging enough to take me out of my comfort zone.

I was flipping through web pages for the Catalina Channel swim, and that’s when I discovered the Triple Crown of Marathon Swimming. With the exception of a support boat and crew, these three races are solo events. It’s you against yourself, the currents, the tides, and the marine life. Physical contact with anyone or anything is not allowed. Wetsuits are not allowed. Neither are fins.

To earn this triple crown title, one must successfully swim the English Channel, the Catalina Channel, and around Manhattan Island wearing a bathing suit, one swim cap, one pair of goggles and some grease. The English Channel is about 21 miles, the Catalina Channel about the same, and to circumnavigate Manhattan Island is 28.5 miles. 70.5 total miles. Plus, the water’s not too warm. And just to add perspective, more people have successfully climbed Mount Everest than have swum the English Channel. Most swimmers start the Catalina Channel swim at night. In the dark. And finally, imagine yourself taking a stroll around the streets of Manhattan. Now imagine swimming around it. Good stuff, huh?

I don’t know when. I don’t know how. I’m not even sure why, but one day I will complete one of these swims. Then maybe we’ll talk triple crown…

“No guts no glory, no pain no gain, no lanes no lines, no walls no mercy.”