Marathon Swimmer Hospitalized After Setting Record for Circling Manhattan
NEW YORK (AP) -- Marathon swimmer Skip Storch was in stable condition Friday in Nyack Hospital, where he was being treated for muscle tears, abrasions and hypothermia following his record-setting swim around Manhattan.
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Family members took Storch to the hospital hours after he completed his record swim Thursday, his publicist, Irene Savine, said. Storch circled the island of Manhattan three times in 32 hours, 52 minutes, 30 seconds.
"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 85-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.
