Anthony Ervin wanted to honor his father, Jack Ervin, a veteran who recently died.
The Olympic gold medalist organized a swim around the city of Charleston, South Carolina, to honor him and raise money for the South Carolina Dept. of Veterans Affairs on Sunday.
Ervin posted about the event on Thursday.
“On Sunday some friends and I swam 12.5 miles around the city of Charleston in remembrance of my dad, Jack Ervin. By far, the furthest distance I’ve ever swam in a day—but i didn’t do it alone. I’m filled with love and gratitude for all of you that were with me or shared memories of my dad,” Anthony Ervin wrote.
View this post on Instagram
The relay consisted of friends: Aloha Ambassador Elliot Ptasnik, distance legend and Olympian Erik Vendt, retired Navy SEAL Captain Tom Dejarnette, and open-water swimmer Jody Wesgate (who only learned how to swim as an adult a few short years ago). We were supported by boat from skipper Duane and Navy Commander Jim Rund, where the flag wave proudly throughout the day. Ervin gave special thanks to Kathleen Wilson, Grand Slam open-water swimmer and organizer of the #swimaroundcharleston.
“We were supported by friends, family, and swimmers from around the world, heard from retired servicemen around the country, from USA Swimming, from staff and swim teams of the US Naval Academy and West Point, and even from a 4-star widow. We raised well over $10,000 for the South Carolina Dept. of Veterans Affairs, and thousands more for VA’s in other states across the country. To all who donated: thank you! 100% of every dollar goes towards veteran needs,” Anthony Ervin wrote.
My team was also in this race. We had a great time
” racing ” team Ervin the last 30 to 45 minutes. They were a great group and glad to have finished along side of them.