James “Jim” Doty
Jim Doty was an American open water swimmer and race director. He served on the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Board of Directors until his passing in 2012 and was inducted as an Honor Swimmer of the IMSHOF in the Class of 2007.
In 1956, Jim finished 78th in the Boston Marathon and decided that longer was better. He had been spending his summers on Black Cat Island, Lake Winniepasaukee, New Hampshire. One time he had to swim a half mile for help after his boat broke down. That swim coupled with his recent 26-mile marathon run and a liking for long distances, led Jim to start swimming long distances in 1968, training with Jack Starrett, a 1964 English Channel Swimmer. Jim trained for a couple of summers with Hall of Fame coach Charlie Silvia at Pine Knoll Swim School in Massachusetts.
It didn’t take long for Jim to become a local open-water swimming legend; there isn’t a body of water in New England that Jim didn't swim over the course of his lengthy career. In addition to completing a staggering number of marathon swims over several decades, Jim was also dedicated to offering more swimming opportunities to others. To further this mission, he formed the New England Marathon Swimming Association (NEMSA), a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting swimming and a clean environment in New England waters. (NEMSA has since become the New England Open Water Swimming Association, which continues to offer open water opportunities throughout New England). Jim also re-started the Boston Light swim in 1976 after it was halted in 1941 due to World War II. He won the 1976 race with 6 swimmers. In total, Jim swam the Boston Light Swim 18 times and participated as part of 5 relay swims.
He established the International Swimming Hall of Fame Irving Davids/Captain Roger W. Wheeler Memorial Award in 1968 and was also a future recipient of the award.
Jim is the namesake for “The Doty Swim,” an annual, informal, one-mile swim held in memory of James Doty each June at the L Street Bathhouse. There are two Jim Doty Memorial Clocks posted at the clock tower at the L Street Bathhouse in South Boston that aim to help open water swimmers training in the harbor know how long they have been out in the water.
If you want to know more about Jim, there’s a book about his swims, “The Jim Doty Story: Accounts of Some of the Marathon Swims of a Great Boston Swimmer,” by Robert L. McCormack. Jim stated on the dedication page of McCormack’s book: “I want to thank my family: my wife, Paula, and children Polly, Elinor, and Jay. They did not see much of me on the weekends from May to October for many years. Unfortunately, this is one of the sacrifices one makes in the pursuit of a career in ocean and marathon swimming.”
Dori Miller
USMS Pool All American Honors – 1 year individual
USMS Long Distance All American Honors – 1 year (1 individual)
USMS Top Ten Achievements – 32 individual2014 English Channel two-way solo crossing – 26 hours 21 minutes
2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019 South Head Rough Water swim
2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019 South Head Rough Water swim
2011 Rottnest Channel (Perth Australia) – 19.7km
2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019 South Head Roughwater (Sydney) solo– 10km
2013, 2015 South Head Roughwater (Sydney) Duo– 10km
2010 Bridge to Beach (Sydney Harbour) – 10.4km
2009 Santa Barbara swim – 16 miles Santa Barbara to Ventura
2008, 2010, 2012 English Channel one-way solo
2007 Lake George Marathon Swim
2005, 2006, 2010 Boston Light Swim – 8 miles
2006 St Vincent’s Swim Across the Sound Swim – 25km
Swam 50 x 400M on her 50th birthday
Hailing from New Haven, Connecticut, Dori has been a competitive swimmer from 11 years of age. She attained an athletic swimming scholarship to the University of Maryland. A testament to her tenacity and commitment to swimming, Dori has swum the English Channel five times, including a grueling two-way swim in 2016 in 26 hours and 21 minutes.
Dori migrated to Sydney, Australia in 2009, and immediately got involved with ocean swimming and surf lifesaving. She joined the Bondi Surf Club in 2010. She has won more than 50 gold medals in Australian Masters Surf Life Saving and Pool Rescue championships (6 world records) and Masters World Lifesaving Championships. She was named NSW Surf Lifesaving Masters Athlete of the Year in 2014 and was inducted into Surf Life Saving Australia Hall of Fame – Masters Legend in 2022.
In addition to participating in ocean swims, Dori is the race director for the Bondi Blue Water Challenge, a fundraising event for Bondi Surf Club, held at Bondi Beach Australia in February each year. The event, which includes 500m, 1.5km and 3km race distances, draws 600 swimmers to swim at the iconic beach.
Dori is a consummate athlete in the water and on land competing in Ironman Wisconsin, and eight running marathons, including the Boston Marathon five times and the Philadelphia Marathon two times.
Phil White
2013 - selected by the Newport Daily Express as Man of the Year
2014 - one of 10 nominated by WOWSA for Man of the Year
2019-2020 recipient of the Service to Marathon Swimming Award from the Marathon Swimmers Federation
2020 - selected as one of the Vermont Sports 30: people and organizations who have had a significant impact on Outdoor Recreation in Vermont during the past 30 years and who have shaped Vermont’s outdoor recreation landscape
2022 - received the Jim Doty Award from the L Street Swimmers for devotion to swimmers
2022 - swims were among 10 nominees for WOWSA’s Event of the Year
Phil is an open water swimming race director, administrator, and photographer from Newport, Vermont. The following is from his 2014 nomination for the 2014 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year -
“Race directors have to be committed, caring, and creative. Phil White is the epitome of the much-appreciated organizer who has breathed a renewed sense of community, adventure, and challenge into the idyllic Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, a region dotted with numerous lakes of rare beauty. White envisioned all kinds of courses and competitions where none existed before. He not only has attracted athletes and volunteers from many states and countries to his green corner of the world, but he has also kindled a wide spectrum of support from corporate to governmental entities.”
With his wide-reaching Kingdom Games, Phil and his team now support more than 40 days of competition ranging from ice swimming to marathon swimming. He inspires people from all walks of life, ages, and abilities to participate in races both short and long on a year-round basis. He enthusiastically encourages daring people to dream and helps them achieve those goals.
Chronology of the growth of swimming in the Northeast Kingdom
2009 – Started Kingdom Swim as a 1, 3, and 10-mile event. 100 swimmers of all ages signed up
2010 – Started the Lake Willoughby Swim (5 Miles) with 12 swimmers. 200 showed up for Kingdom Swim
2011 – Started (with Elaine Howley) In Search of Memphre, a 25 mile international swim the length of Lake Memphremagog between Newport, VT and Magog, QC 9 solo swimmers and 1 relay. Only four completed the swim that first year. A added a 6-mile distance to Kingdom Swim. A added a Lake Caspian Swim on the Sunday following the Willoughby Swim.
2009 to 2013 – Held these swims as fundraisers for Indoor Recreation of Orleans County (IROC). In 2013 IROC closed its doors. Started Kingdom Games, Inc. to continue and grow open water swimming, biking, and running events. It is a small for-profit company based on Newman’s Own with all net profits going to local charities. Started with no capital on a cash only basis and the patience of many local vendors. Now host over 50 days of running, biking and swimming in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont and the Eastern Townships of Quebec.
2013 – Started the NEK Swim Week, swimming 8 lakes in 9 days for a total of 46 Miles. Crystal, Island Pond, Lac Massawippi, Seymour, Echo, Memphremagog, Willoughby and Caspian. Sarah Thomas double crossed Lake Memphremagog in some fierce conditions. Renamed his house, The Clubhous, as the nerve center for Kingdom Games, with a small amount of lodging available to participants, and as a place from which to swim out and around the islands of Derby Bay on Lake Memphremagog.
2014 – Added the Border Buster (15 Miles) to Kingdom Swim.
2015 – Held the first Memphremagog Winter Swimming Festival. Ice was 3’ thick. 41 Winter Swimmers participated. Crewed for Sarah Thomas, Elaine Kornbau Howley, and Craig Lenning in their Loch Ness Swim, establishing the Triple Crown of Lake Monster Swims (Loch Ness, Memphremagog, and Tahoe)
2016 – Lengthened the Border Buster to 25 km.
2017 – Crewed for Sarah Thomas during her 104-mile swim on Lake Champlain
2019 – Reorganized In Search of Memphre to eliminate the use of kayaks and small aluminum boats, and instead escorted two swimmers at a time using two pontoon boats, in several three day windows, selecting the best day in each window.
2020 – In the midst of the pandemic, Kingdom swim postponed for a year. Started the Saturday Clubhous Swim Series with no more than 10 swimmers and 10 kayakers. Held the NEK Swim Week with similar limitations.
2021 – Resumed Kingdom Swim and NEK Swim Week and kept the Saturday Clubhous Swim Series. Started some regular cold water swims from September through the beginning of January
2022 – The Border re-opened and we resumed In Search of Memphre. 9 swimmers successfully completed their swims. 9 more are scheduled to attempt the swim this year.
During the winter of 2023, 155 winter swimmers participated in The Memphremagog Winter Swimming Festival. Over 150 swimmers have registered for Kingdom Swim and more than 50 swimmers have already signed up for one or more swims during NEK Swim Week. The Saturday Clubhous Swim Series now has 5 to 15 swimmers signed on for any given Saturday.
Over the course of the past 15 years the Northeast Kingdom has become widely recognized as a world class venue for open water swimming. The lakes we swim are clean (many are pristine), beautiful, with low boat traffic and strong community support, all of which makes for an unlikely mecca for swimmers of all ages and all abilities. Over the years, we have drawn thousands of swimmers and kayakers from over 45 states, three Canadian provinces, and 15 other nations around the world. We have done this with substantial local support and a volunteer pool that has grown to over 150, some of whom travel from as far away as California, Maryland, and around New England just to volunteer.
A robust, tribal, and joyful community has developed around these swims. The Memphremagog Winter Swimming Festival roars with joy. The Kingdom Swim has become a true celebration of open water swimming, with youngsters parading beside Triple Crowners at our Pet and Swimmers Costume Parade and sharing the same award ceremony at the end of the day. Our motto has stood the test of time: NO LANES – NO LINES – NO LIMITS .
And, I have made some of the best friends of my life among swimmers, kayakers, and other volunteers.
Charlotte Brynn
2022 Inducted into the New England LMSC Hall of Fame (Open Water/Long Distance)
Years Active 2008 - Present
2019 NE LMSC Frank Wuest Open Water Swimming Award - was established in honor of Frank Wuest to recognize outstanding contributions to open water and Masters Swimming in New England. This award is presented based on sportsmanship, mentorship, camaraderie, love of sport, hard work, event participation, promotion of swimming, and more.
Marathon Swimmer, Channel Swimmer, Ice Swimmer, Exercise Specialist
55 Marathon Swims
2x International Ice Swimming Association Mile (1st New Zealander)
World Open Water Swimming Association’s (WOWSA) 50 Most Adventurous Open Water Women list 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019
World Open Water Swimming Association’s (WOWSA) list of top women open water coaches and mentors in the world 2018
Epic Swims include - Catalina Channel, Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, Atlantic City Around the Island Marathon Swim, In Search of Memphre Marathon Swim, Lake George Marathon Swim
In addition to conquering the above iconic marathon swims, Charlotte is a pioneer of local endurance swimming challenges such as the Lake Memphremagog crossing.
Charlotte recently finished her term as NELMSC Open Water Chair, which culminated in hosting two USMS Open Water National Championships at Lake Willoughby, and previously served on the USMS Open Water Committee.
USMS Long Distance All American – 2009, 2015 & 2020, 2022
USMS Top Ten Achievements – 26 Individual
USMS Certified Coach Level 1, 2, 3 & 4
USMS Certified Adult Learn to Swim Instructor
Club: New England Masters (STOW)
USMS Profile Charlotte J Brynn - USMS Swimmer
A native of New Zealand, I was born for adventure, growing up, New Zealand’s scenic lakes, rugged mountains and ocean waters were my playground.
I now live in the state of Vermont with my family. I am wired for adventure and am passionate about helping others realize their goals and dreams while stretching my own physical and mental limits.
As Executive Director of the Swimming Hole, Nonprofit Community Pool and Fitness Center, Stowe, Vermont (since 2001) Charlotte coaches local swimmers in the pool. She also runs Open Water Clinics and Camps, but her impact goes beyond Stowe Masters; she is an enthusiastic cheerleader and inspiring mentor to swimmers near and far.
Bob Fernald
2022 Inducted into the New England LMSC Hall of Fame (Open Water/Long Distance)
USMS Active member 2008 to Present, who found his “lane” in ultramarathon open water swimming
2019 NE LMSC Frank Wuest Open Water Swimming Award – was established in honor of Frank Wuest to recognize outstanding contributions to open water and Masters Swimming in New England. This award is presented based on sportsmanship, mentorship, camaraderie, love of sport, hard work, event participation, promotion of swimming, and more.
Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming - 2014 English Channel – 21 Miles, 2015 Manhattan Island Circumnavigational Swim – 21 Miles, 2016 Catalina Channel Swim – 20 Miles. Bob was the 139th person to accomplish this, and New Hampshire’s first swimmer to earn this title.
Other long swims - Boston Light Swim, 3-time finisher, 2013 Swim Across the Sound, 15 Miles
After achieving the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimmer Bob has dedicated himself to “paying it forward” through knowledge sharing, and volunteering for the sport of open water swimming raising awareness for local non-profit organizations
Appreciated in the local triathlon/swim community as a mentor/coach who takes a special interest in swimmers of all ages who are less familiar with the open water, helping them gain confidence and sharing his expertise generously.
Hosts annual open water safety clinics for non-profits and local endurance teams (NAMI, Blue Ocean, Save the Indoor (Portsmouth, NH) Pool, SheCoast Multisport)
Mentors open water swimmers on their journey to becoming accomplished marathon and ultramarathon open water swim athletes
Open Water Administration
Race Director “Fall Open Water Classic,” Hampton Beach 2022 (new event!) to benefit Blue Ocean Society
Co-Organizer Garbage Swim 2021 to benefit Blue Ocean Society
Race Co-Director (since 2018) Nubble Light Swim, York ME, in support of NAMI, and the Michael Phelps Foundation
Director Kingston Open Water Swim, Kingston NH, 2017, open water swim designed for local youth swim teams (returning in 2023)
USMS OW Race Official & USMS OW Safety Official, Kingdom Swim Festival, multiple years,
Marathon Swim Federation OW Observer
MOWSA OW Observer
Frequent volunteer crew and safety support at Boston Light and Kingdom Swim events
Board of Directors, Save the Indoor Pool (SIPP)
2017 PiscataquaTEDx Series Speaker, “Facing fears in open water swimming”
2017 NH Film Festival Documentary, “An Allegedly Good Swimmer”
USMS Top Ten Achievements – 4 relay
USMS Certified Coach – Level 1 & 2
USMS Profile Bob Fernald - USMS Swimmer
Bob Fernald is an open water swimmer who lives in New Hampshire a state with just about 20 miles of coastline. Bob was always fond of the ocean growing up but always had a healthy fear and respect for it as well.
Open water swimming came as a discovery in an “adult on-set” kind of way. Like a common group of wanna-be athletes, Bob was bullied into triathlons by “friends.” Initially hating the swim, and completing, only a handful of short tris, he found open water swimming after several years of absence from the water.
Self coached, he found the elusive efficient body position in the water through his pilates practice. And so began the journey of his open swimming, and a change in life focus.
The journey is ongoing. His mission….to share the joy of open water swimming with the world. “If I could take what I learned and put it in a bottle, I would give it away.”
Sharon Beckman
2020 Inducted into the New England LMSC Hall of Fame (Open Water/Long Distance)
1983 Swam on the professional marathon circuit where she finished as the highest-ranked female marathon swimmer in the U.S. and third-best in the world. Swims included:
Length of Lake Memphremagog – 25 miles
Around Atlantic City – 22 miles
1982 First woman from New England to swim the English Channel (21 miles). Her time of 9 hours 6 minutes was the 17th fastest time for men or women at the time and is still among the top 40 fastest female finishes.
1982 Boston Light Swim – 8 miles, First place finisher overall
1981 Boston Light Swim – 8 miles, First female & second finisher overall
1977 Lake Michigan – 10 miles
USMS Records
Pool – 1 lifetime relay
USMS Top Ten – 8 individual, 17 relay
Club: New England Masters (NEM)
Born in Chicago and raised in Park Ridge, Illinois, Sharon Beckman swam AAU as an age-grouper and then competed in high school and college. She was co-captain of the Harvard Women’s Swimming and Diving team under Coach Stephanie Walsh and captain of the Harvard Women’s Water Polo team. Walsh crewed for Beckman on her English Channel swim in 1982.
Sharon’s name (along with that of her sister, who swam the English Channel 24 years later) on the wall in the White Horse Tavern in Dover, UK
Sharon graduated from University of Michigan Law School and clerked for two federal judges, including Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. She practiced criminal and civil rights law in Boston and Chicago before joining the Boston College Law School faculty in 1995. She is founder and director of the Boston College Innocence Program, a clinical program where students and faculty represent innocent people wrongly convicted and imprisoned in Massachusetts for crimes they did not commit. She is a cancer survivor, wife, and mother.
George Brunstad
2020 Inducted into the New England LMSC Hall of Fame (Open Water/Long Distance)
2010 Length of Lake Winnipesaukee – 22 miles, age 76
2004 Became the oldest person to ever swim the English Channel (21 miles) at age 70 years and 3 days, completing the swim in 15 hours 59 minutes.
USMS Long Distance All-Star – 15 consecutive years (1996-2010)
USMS All-American
Long Distance – 44 (1992-2010)
Pool – 1
USMS Records
Pool – 1 lifetime individual
USMS Top Ten – 121 individual, 2 relay
Club: New England Masters (NEM)
George Brunstad was a college swimmer in the 1950s but never attained elite status, partly because he only swam what he now calls short distances. “I later found that I am a true long-distance swimmer,” he says. “Looking back, I probably could have done well if they had the 10K that is part of the Olympics today. I do not claim to have a lot of natural swimming talent, many others have much more. I just worked hard and was blessed with endurance.”
George started Masters swimming under the old AAU near its beginning in 1973 and achieved some success in the pool, including National Championships in such events as the LC Meters 400, 800, and 1500 free, 400 IM, and 200 Fly. “But my true place proved to be in long-distance open water events,” he says. “I became the USMS Long Distance All-Star (one person per age group per year) for 15 consecutive years from 1996 through 2010, winning multiple National and World Championships along the way.”
George says his “best effort” in swimming was becoming the oldest person to swim the English Channel in 2004 at the age of 70. His swim was guided by pilot Michael Oram, assisted by Alison Streeter and observed by Marcy MacDonald, all Channel swimming legends in their own right. George’s swim was recorded by the Guinness Book of World Records and George was depicted in a Ripley’s Believe-It-or-Not cartoon. The swim received worldwide recognition and an account was read into the Congressional record.
George’s name on the wall of the White Horse Tavern in Dover, UK
George recalls that “the swim had an important purpose. Our church missions committee was trying to help a sister Haitian church whose pastor had a vision to start an orphanage and school in a remote area of Haiti where there were no public schools or even electricity. On my 69th birthday I started intensive training for a Channel swim with the purpose to fund this project with my wife Judy as the fundraiser. We were able to raise $55,000 by way of the swim to start this project and now the school [Center of Hope Haiti] has 126 full-time students in grades 1 through 9. The children are getting an education, have clothes, meals, comfortable quarters and electricity (generator) among other things. Our contribution was a starter and now many others have come on board to support its continued success.”
George’s 22-mile swim the length of Lake Winnipesaukee on his 76th birthday has also become part of the local folklore in the New Hampshire lakes region and among marathon swimmers. That swim was completed without a wetsuit (as was his Channel swim) and also featured a charity fundraising component.
Jennifer Dutton
2020 Inducted into the New England LMSC Hall of Fame (Open Water/Long Distance)
2019 Inducted into the Vermont Open Water Swimming Hall of Fame
2019 SCAR Swim Challenge – 15.2 km, 14.4 km, 27.3 km, 10 km
2018 First person to swim the length of Great Sacandaga Lake, NY – 33 miles
2016 Ninth person to swim the length of Lake George – 51.8 km
2015 First person to swim the length of Keuka Lake, NY – 53.1 km
2014, 2015, 2019 Kingdom Swim Border Buster, Lake Memphremagog, VT – 25 km
2014 First person to swim the length of Torch Lake, MI – 19 miles
2013 Lake Tahoe – 34.2 km
2012 In Search of Memphre, Lake Memphremagog, VT – 40.2 km
Early 2000s Burlington YMCA swim across Lake Champlain, VT – 8 miles
1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2012 Boston Light Swim – 12.6 km
1986 Candlewood Challenge, Candlewood Lake, CT – 10.5 miles
Club: New England Masters (NEM)
Jennifer Dutton (nee Spencer) had a most ordinary high school swim career in Connecticut, then attempted college swimming at Bates College (ME) after a severe brain injury during freshman orientation. That season did not go very well, but she had completed a local 10-mile swim just prior to her injury and she soon found that the open water welcomed her back unconditionally. Since then, she has gone on to complete a wide variety of challenging open water marathon swims, including three firsts in Torch Lake in Michigan, and Keuka Lake and Great Sacandaga Lake in New York.
Jen has been a high school coach in MetroWest (mostly at Wellesley High School) for nearly 20 years, and has completed two, two-year stints as an assistant coach at Wellesley College. She has been a local Masters coach for two decades and is a USMS Certified Level 3 Coach. She has two college-aged kids who swim and play water polo and a husband who is her tireless support crew.
Elaine Howley
2020 Inducted into the New England LMSC Hall of Fame (Open Water/Long Distance)
2017 Inducted into the Vermont Open Water Swimming Hall of Fame
Third person to complete the Triple Crown of Monster Swims, solo crossings of:
2016 Lake Tahoe – 21.5 miles
2015 Loch Ness – 22.2 miles
2011 Lake Memphremagog – 25 miles
32nd person to complete the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming, solo crossings of:
2009 English Channel – 21 miles
2009 Around Manhattan Island – 28.5 miles
2008 Catalina Channel – 20 miles
2019 Swim the Suck, Tennessee River, Chattanooga, TN – 10 miles
2019 First female to complete the 3x Boston Light Swim – 24 miles
2019 Solo circumnavigation of Absecon Island, NJ – 22 miles
2018 Mackinac Straits, MI – 4.4 miles
2018 Great Chesapeake Bay Swim, MD – 4.4 miles
2017 END-WET race up the Red River, Grand Forks, ND – 36 miles
2017 Mercer Island Marathon Swim, WA – 12.5 miles
2017 Ice Kilometer, International Ice Swimming Association World Championships - 5th place
2015 Lake Del Valle, CA – 10 km
2014 First person to swim the length of Lake Pend Oreille, ID – 32.3 miles
2012 Swim Across America Long Beach – 10 km
2012 Fifth American to complete an Ice Mile, Boston Harbor
2011 Ederle Swim, NY – 17.5 miles
2011 Lake Willoughby Swim, VT – 5 miles
2010 2x Boston Light – 16 miles, Fastest female
2010, 2013 Kingdom Swim, VT – 10 miles
2007, 2009, 2011 Flat River Reservoir, RI – 10 km
2006, 2007, 2008 Boston Light Swim – 8 miles
USMS Top Ten – 1 individual, 1 relay
Club: New England Masters (NEM)
Elaine K. Howley grew up in South Jersey’s summer league swimming ecosystem, and joined a club team in middle school. In high school, she could be relied upon to earn a solid second or third place in the 500 free or 200 IM (and whatever other events no one else wanted to swim), and thus earned her role as captain through persistence rather than speed. After spending her freshman year of college rather miserably rowing crew, she walked onto the swim team at Georgetown University, where again, she was not a point-earner but cracked the whip with the underclassmen during workouts.
During the summers while in college, Elaine worked as a lifeguard on Long Beach Island in New Jersey, which introduced her to open water swimming. In 2006, after having completed graduate school at Emerson College, Elaine began swimming more and her love the ocean drew her to open water. Her first official marathon swim was the 2006 Boston Light Swim, an event she now directs.
Since then, her resume has grown to include several record marathon swims, and she continues to plan and enjoy as many ultramarathon swims around the world as she can. A swimming journalist, Elaine documents the sport for several publications, including USMS’s SWIMMER magazine and the UK-based open water magazine, Outdoor Swimmer. She’s also deeply involved in the administration of marathon swimming, helping others to achieve their open water goals as a crew member, mentor, and observer both locally through the Massachusetts Open Water Swimming Association and farther afield through the Marathon Swimmers Federation.
