Today at Coney Island in Brooklyn, I swam a one mile open water swim called “Grimaldo’s Mile.” I did this to raise funds for the Michael J. Fox Foundation. As always, Parky the Raccoon, official World Parkinson Congress mascot, cheered me on.
You can see the story in pics below…but before we get started, if you haven’t already done so, please click
and donate to my Team Fox fundraising page! I am doing these races for my own health AND to speed a cure for Parkinson’s disease and dystonia. Please support me in this endeavor!
Wake Up Call: This time, the alarm clock rings at 4:00 a.m.! Ready as always: Parky; my Speedos and goggles; a towel; and my first hits of Ropinerole and Sinemet, my main Parkinson’s drugs.
On the Boardwalk! Here we are, just after dawn, on Coney Island’s famed boardwalk!
No Pets!? This sign does NOT apply to Parky! He’s not a pet! He’s a goodwill ambassador and global bon vivant!
Getting Ready! Time for the goggles and the caps. For this race, everyone is wearing a pink cap!
Single File! We stand in single file in alphabetical order. The pink caps look great, especially with black suits!
Into the Brink! We’re going to swim out a few hundred yards, turn right, and swim a mile parallel to shore.
We’re off! The water’s delightful and I feel great. As I’m just returning to competitive swimming, I let the die-hards go first. (I didn’t know this was being recorded on video. It looks like I’m voguing….)
1.2 Miles Later: I’m swimming back to shore.
Ta-Da! Really, everyone should do this.
Fellow Swimmers! The post-race changing area is in part of the New York Aquarium. See the sea horses!
See the Turtles!
Hmmm…. As we leave, the amusement park is getting cranked up. Here’s the famous roller coaster running its course and making a racket. But wait – nobody’s riding it! It’s empty! Where are the people?
On the Coney Island Beach! Oh, I see. But wait a minute…where’s Parky? Can you find him in this picture? Where in the world is Parky?
Oh, I see. We’re having a late breakfast of cold buckwheat noodles in Flushing’s Korea-town.
Reminder! Please click here and donate to my Team Fox page!
I have two more races this summer:
- August 6: Greenwich Island Beach, CT, 2-mile open water race
- August 27: Lake George, NY, 2.5 kilometer open water race
Come back for photos of those!
Click here for the photos of the Greenwich 1-mile race I swam two weeks ago!
Reminder! Please click here and donate to my Team Fox page!
I am doing these races for my own health AND to speed a cure for Parkinson’s disease and dystonia. Please support me in this endeavor!
Black and white photo of Coney Island courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
My favorite photo is of you after the race with arms raised high. The video is very funny. The seahorse photo is fabulous. And I could go for some cold buckwheat noodles. Yum. We had delicious cold buckwheat noodles in Nikko, Japan.
Forgot to say that photo of Coney Island on the beach is frightening.
The pictures say it all. Once again, great job Bruce! Loved the way you incorporated Coney Island past and present.
Congrats on your swim!! I didn’t find Parky in the crowd photo, but I’ll keep looking 😉
Bruce, you look really good! Congratulations on your achievement. No doubt, as usual, you are inspiring many!
Loved the video and the pix of you after you finished the swim. I agree with Harriet…the Coney Island pix is SCARY!! Congrats Bruce! You are half way finished toward your goal.