Dave Berry out to take Manhattan in Triple Crown swimming bid

Battling biting cold, jellyfish stings, dolphin encounters and extreme exhaustion have all been in a day's work since I took up long distance swimming in 2022.

This week I will attempt to swim a lap of New York City's Manhattan Island and become the first Irish marathon swimmer to hold the three Triple Crowns of open water swimming: The Irish Triple Crown, The Original Triple Crown and the Triple Crown.

In September this year, at the age of 48, I completed the Irish Triple Crown - the gruelling task of swimming 19km from the Fastnet Lighthouse to Baltimore in Cork, the 21km of the Galway Bay two-way swim and the punishing swim from Ireland to Scotland across the North Channel, a 34km challenge that few complete.

Now, as I prepare to swim around Manhattan Island on Tuesday 17 October, covering a challenging distance of 48km, I find myself on the verge of completing the Triple Crown of swimming. This feat includes the Manhattan swim, which is the last piece of the puzzle, along with the Catalina Channel in Los Angeles (32km) and the English Channel (32km).

These swims are known for their difficulty due to the unpredictable conditions of the open sea and cold waters.

Should I be successful the feat will be added to the already completed Original Triple Crown, which includes the English Channel (32km), the Bristol Channel (29km), and the North Channel (34km). These swims are iconic in the world of open-water swimming and are considered a significant achievement for any swimmer.

To date I have completed 17 ratified swims. This means swimming under both Channel and Irish long-distance swimming rules: No neoprene/wetsuit, one hat, goggles, togs and no electronic devices can be worn. Once the swim starts you cannot touch another