Suzanne Dearworth's swim - Manhattan's 20 Bridges

I am fundraising on behalf of my friend and fellow rockstar swimmer, Suzanne Dearworth. She has been accepted to participate in the 20 Bridges Swim, a 48.5-km/28.5-mile swim around Manhattan Island, in late July 2024. The 20 Bridges Swim is the first major marathon swimming event that will bring Suzanne closer to her dream of completing the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming. (Other events are the English Channel, 33-km/20.5-miles between France and England, and the Catalina Channel, 32.5-km/20-miles between Catalina Island and the California mainland.)

Suzanne has an unrelenting spirit that has carried her through times of adversity – a broken Olympic dream, the loss of “roots” after relocating twice to pursue her dream, and numerous physical injuries. She has a true passion for swimming. It started in the pool, but the open water captured her heart and mind. Despite the roadblocks she encountered Suzanne never stopped listening to her heart, healing her wounds, and pulling herself back up. Her determination and strength allow her to embrace the challenging conditions of each ocean, river, and bay. With every elite and impressive swim, she gains more mental and physical strength.

Merely being accepted to compete in the 20 Bridges Swim is a dream come true for Suzanne. It’s evident that physical and mental obstacles will not get in her way, but some financial help is necessary. An elite event like this comes with some hefty costs. Every swimmer is required to have a “crew” (a boat with an official observer, a paddler plus an additional crew member for other needs and potential emergencies). Suzanne will also need to travel to and secure accommodation in New York City...which we all know is not cheap! Every dollar raised will help.

Let's rally behind Suzanne and help her swim her way around Manhattan!

Thank you very much for your support and generosity :)

More info about the event:

The 20 Bridges Swim is a 48.5-km/28.5-mile marathon swim around Manhattan Island. It is a full loop including magnificent views of famed sites such as the Empire State Building, Freedom Tower, and the United Nations. This challenging swim travels through three rivers that are all tidal straits or estuaries:

- The East River, connecting the New York Harbor to the Long Island Sound, has some ripping-fast tides

under the iconic Brooklyn Bridge and other spans passing the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens.

- The Harlem River, connecting the East River to the Hudson, is quite mellow by comparison. It is crossed by 15 bridges, most of them between Manhattan and the Bronx.

- The Hudson River, separating Manhattan from New Jersey, is crossed by the magnificent George Washington Bridge with the Little Red Lighthouse tucked at its base and quite choppy conditions due to all the boat action.

More about Suzanne:

Suzanne Dearworth has a love and passion for the water. Swimming has been an integral part of who she is since age five in Cincinnati, OH where her swimming career was born. After practice ended and all the kickboards were put away, Suzanne kept swimming. Watching the sunlight dance on the bottom of the pool was her favorite thing. She simply did not want to get out of the water. At the age of 11, she became nationally ranked while swimming for the Cincinnati Marlins. Breaststroke was her specialty, though she also excelled at the individual medley. Her Olympic dreams were strong. She shared thoughts and notes with teammates before workouts to psych them up. She posted quotes in her locker; “Winners never quit, and quitters never win.” Though she came up short, she worked hard to break her teammate’s 11-12 national age group record of 1:06.38 in the 100-yard breaststroke. That teammate went on to compete in the 1984 Olympics. At 14 years old, Suzanne was recruited to swim for the elite Pine Crest School in Ft. Lauderdale, FL as a boarding student where those dreams could further be nurtured. As a freshman, she became the county champion in the 100-yard breaststroke. Upon entering the district qualifying meet, she swam in the wrong heat, disqualifying herself from a chance at the Florida State Championship. Heartbroken, she spiraled into a depression and quit swimming for a while. Though she eventually came back, a change in residency caused her to lose her scholarship and ended her Olympic dreams.

Years later, after graduate school, Suzanne rekindled her love of swimming when she joined US Masters Swimming (USMS) as part of the Lake Lytal Masters in West Palm Beach, FL, now known as Palm Beach Masters. She went on to conquer the top spot in the 1,500m freestyle at the USMS Championships in Baltimore, MD in 2000, which was as much a victory of her spirit as it was a physical accomplishment. Suzanne has continued to train with the Palm Beach Masters and the Delray Beach Open Water Swimmers for 20+ years and has done so with the joy of her five-year-old self.... never wanting to get out of the water! At one point she suffered an elbow injury causing her to swim with one arm for months. 2021 was a breakthrough year for Suzanne when she discovered open water marathon swimming. She joined a teammate as part of a two-person relay for the Swim for Alligator Lighthouse, an 8-mile swim with no shoreline in sight. She ended up swimming 7 of the 8 miles, smiling the entire time. Following this wonderful breakthrough, and up through today, Suzanne has been participating in as many open water (marathon) events as possible.

- 2022: Swim Around Key West (12 miles) - 1st place in age group; Swim for Alligator Lighthouse (8 miles) - 3rd place in the solo division

- 2023: Lucky’s Lake Swim in Orlando (10k); Swim Miami (10k); Three Rivers Swim in Pittsburgh, PA (30k including 15k against the current); Swim for Alligator Lighthouse (8 miles) - 2nd place, coming in just behind the overall female winner, a former Olympian; Swim Around Charleston (20k) within the same month of two other swims; an 8-mile swim with the Duval County Swimmers in Jacksonville; two 10k swims back-to-back at Rainbow River in Dunnellon, Florida; a 7-mile swim around Lido Key in Sarasota; an 8-mile swim in Tampa around Harbor and Davis Island (“The Infinity”); an 8-mile swim around Treasure Island in Tampa the day prior.

In between her open water pursuits, Suzanne continues to train and compete in the pool. In addition to being a USMS national champion, she holds some YMCA national titles. She is also a national champion in several virtual pool swims including the 6000-yard event and the 10k long course event (her favorite pool swim). Suzanne recently found a new community of passionate open water marathon swimmers and relocated to the west coast of Florida where she enjoys swimming regularly with the St. Pete Masters and the Harbour Island Open Water and St. Pete Open Water Swimmers.