Man Swims Around New York

Filed in archive Water Adventures on August 31, 2007

32 hours, 52 minutes, and 30 seconds. That's how long it took Skip Storch to swim around Manhattan. He set a record and was swimming to raise money for sarcoidosis. However, after his swim, he was admitted to the hospital for abrasions and hypothermia.

"He is being treated with painkillers, rest and warmth," she said. "There is always going to be abrasions because there are things (debris) in the water and the water chafes the skin

Storch did the swim unassisted, meaning he wore only a bathing suit and was exposed to the elements during the swim.

The previous record for the 85½-mile trip was 33 hours, 30 minutes, set by Stacy Chanin in 1984.

Storch was swimming to raise money for the sarcoidosis treatment program at Mount Sinai Hospital.

Many New Yorkers - Storch among them - contracted the disease since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 sent clouds of contaminated dust into the air around the city.

Sarcoidosis is an inflammation that produces tiny clumps of cells in various organs that can eventually affect their functioning.

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