ISLAMORADA, Florida Keys, September 22. More than 300 athletes competed in an eight-mile open-water swim Saturday in the Florida Keys.
The second annual Swim for Alligator Lighthouse was staged as a college scholarship fundraiser for Keys students interested in competitive swimming, but also to raise awareness of a need to preserve Alligator Reef Lighthouse and five other aging lighthouses off the Keys.
The structures are more than 150 years old and the harsh marine environment is taking its toll on them.
The event was conceived by Islamorada resident Larry Herlth, an artist whose metal sculptures and scaled replicas of Keys lighthouses symbolize his passion to preserve the historic beacons.
Yoelvis Pedraza of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., won overall honors, turning in the fastest time of 3 hours, 35 minutes and 5 seconds.
Julie Salvetti of Venice, Fla, won the overall women’s title at 4:51:48
Miamians Jack Ellis, Henry Urquidi, Nicki Urquidi and Brooke Ellis won the four-person relay division with a time of 4:02:53. Cooper City, Fla., residents Can Datca and Tyler Magarity won the two-person division with 4:47:46.
Virginia residents Nicole Johnson and Jeremy Linn, both from Manassas, placed second in the two-person division, but had an even more eventful swim. Reaching the halfway mark at Alligator Lighthouse, Johnson accepted Linn’s marriage proposal.
Race director Jonathan Strauss reported that 310 entrants competed in the race.
Full race results are at: http://www.pigmantri.com/
The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World. To reach our audience, contact us at newsmaster@swimmingworld.com.
Hey Guys, how about posting the Overall Female Winner from Venice Florida… Julie Salvetti who cut 45 minutes off her time from last year.
I agree with Mark…why are you not posting women’s results??? Incomplete & inadequate reporting!
Please note the disclaimer: The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World. To reach our audience, contact us at newsmaster@Ken.com.
We posted what was provided by meet organizers. We will ask them if they have women’s results.
The meet organizers just sent us the overall winner and a link to the full results. The release has been updated.