When Mary Singer walks up to Puget Sound, she sees something many of us don't. She sees a great place for a swim.
When Mary Singer walks up to Puget Sound, she sees something many of us don't. She sees a great place for a swim.
The Vashon Island native grew up swimming in pools, but several years ago, in the heart of winter, she decided to try the open water.
"Got in and the waves and the wind and the cold and immediately loved it," Singer said. "Loved it!"
She describes the sights, the smells, and being fully immersed in nature.
"And the cold itself," she said. "Really, you get out, and you have a big smile on your face. There's the release of dopamine and that kind of thing."
Open water swimming became her exercise, her community, and a place to push herself.
"It's really for my own enjoyment and a challenge to myself that I want to do more and more difficult things," Singer said. "I don't compete with other people. I want to do more and more difficult things for myself. In '21 I did the Around Coronado Swim, and then in '22 I did a Vermont swim in a lake which was a little bit longer. It was freshwater, so it was a little bit more difficult in that way."
She kept finding swims that were longer and harder, but found her biggest challenge just steps from home. Singer decided to swim all the way around Vashon Island -- something no one has done before.
The Northwest Open Water Swimming Association documented the feat. There were two boats holding a crew made up of observers, making sure she followed the rules. Pilots helped chart her course, and a support team was there to feed her and watch for hypothermia.
After months of training, Singer entered the water at 4:00 a.m. on an August morning, for what would be a 32 mile swim. She paused to tread water, waiting for a ferry to go by. She took advantage of a current that helped propel her forward and battled a change in tide that dragged her back.
Supporters gathered on beaches to cheer her on.
"That was really cool. That gave me a burst of energy to see folks lining the beaches," Singer said.
A grueling 15 hours and 28 seconds later, she was done.
Andrew Malinak was one of Mary's pilots.
"It's never a solo sport," he said. "The swimmer has to do it on their own, but they are supported by a team of people during, before, and after the event."
Malinak is president of NOWSA and an open water swimmer himself.
"That's a long, cold swim. I would say that this is way harder than the English Channel. It doesn't have the name, but it's a huge accomplishment," Malinak said. "Mary has trained and worked hard to do what she did, and it's super impressive."
Singer is proud to be the first documented swimmer to make it around her home island, but she doesn't expect to be the last, hoping to inspire others to give open water swimming a chance.
"It's just really incredible. More people should try it," Singer said. "I mean, it is really, really invigorating."
Mary now swims without a wetsuit, but if you want to give open water swimming a try, there is gear to help buffer the cold. And you'll find a community of other swimmers ready to help. NOWSA is a good place to start.
