Night Train Swimmers to Attempt Unprecedented, World Record Relay Swim from San Francisco to Santa Barbara

- Team Has Raised More Than $1,000,000 for Semper Fi Fund-

TIBURON, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Night Train Swimmers (nighttrainswimmers.org), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that raises money for charity through swimming events, will attempt a 339-mile relay down the California coast from San Francisco to Santa Barbara on September 23, 2012. If completed, the six-swimmer team will establish a new world record for the longest open water relay.

“We’ve been training for this event for months and are anticipating a pretty epic swim – one that’s really unprecedented in the annals of distance swimming”

In conjunction, a team of 13 runners (two teams of six and one solo runner) will start from the Golden Gate Bridge on September 26 and run a nonstop relay, finishing at the harbor in Santa Barbara to greet the swimmers upon their arrival.

These swim and run relays are serving as a fundraiser for Night Train Swimmers and their partner organization Semper Fi Fund, which supports and empowers injured and critically ill members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families. As part of their collective fundraising efforts, including a dinner held on Friday, September 7^th, more than one million dollars have been raised to date.

“We’ve been training for this event for months and are anticipating a pretty epic swim – one that’s really unprecedented in the annals of distance swimming,” stated relay swimmer Phil Cutti. “But this effort pales in comparison to the commitment of our armed forces.”

With water temperatures along the California coast between San Francisco and Santa Barbara predicted to be as low as 55 degrees Fahrenheit during the relay, the swimmers must overcome the challenges of aquatic wildlife, uncertain sea conditions, and hypothermia. Team members will swim continuously in one-hour rotations.

The team consists of six Bay Area swimmers: Patti Bauernfeind, Kim Chambers, Phil Cutti, David Holscher, Zach Jirkovsky, and Joe Locke. Each team member brings unique experience in long-distance swimming, from crossings of the English Channel to relay swims to The Farallon Islands. Legendary Bay Area endurance athlete and Night Train Swimmer Vito Bialla, along with Patrick Horn and Hal McCormick, will be providing crew support for the duration of the swim.

On September 23^rd at 8:00am, the team will depart the San Francisco Yacht Club in Belvedere, and proceed to the Golden Gate Bridge to start their epic voyage at 10:00am. The swim is anticipated to take 7-9 days to complete, with the course ranging as far as 40 miles offshore in some segments before reaching the Santa Barbara harbor.

More information can be found at nighttrainswimmers.org, as well as live GPS tracking and updates beginning on September 23. Additionally, KSFO560 AM will be airing daily updates on their morning show. Donations can be made through Night Train Swimmers by visiting the website.

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