Chris and Penny wish to thank Endura sports powders for their support. www.healthworld.com.au

Palfrey inducted into swimming hall of fame

ANTONY STEWART

January 27th, 2010

FORGET Townsville, Penny Palfrey is the world’s long distance swimming queen.

In a stunning honour, Palfrey was last week inducted into The International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame for her remarkable feats in recent years.

She joins just over 175 other nominees since 1872 and just one other Queenslander.

Even for the 47-year-old mother of three, who has achieved so much in the gruelling sport, it is an honour she is overwhelmingly proud to have been bestowed.

”It’s absolutely fantastic, I’m really excited about this award,” Palfrey said.

”You can be around for decades and they have only inducted about 200 people since they first started it … so I’m extremely happy.”

Palfrey was one of three Australians inducted, taking the grand total to nine.

The two-time English Channel swimmer just three years ago visited America and said to husband and training partner Chris she one day hoped to be in the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

Now her dream has come true, although it took a series of emails back and forth between her and the organisation when she first received the notification of her induction before she became a believer.

”There are some great names there, obviously starting with Captain Matthew Webb, who was the first person to swim the (English) Channel,” Palfrey said.

”It’s quite an honour to be inducted with such amazing open water swimmers.”

Among her numerous accomplishments, Palfrey has won the Manhattan Island Marathon, the Tampa Bay Marathon and was the first Australian woman to complete the Strait of Gibraltar crossing.

Locally she has taken out the women’s Magnetic Island swim six times.

”I haven’t particularly been working hard to make it into the international hall of fame, I’ve been working hard setting goals and swimming for the pleasure and the satisfaction and the challenge in that itself,” Palfrey said.

”But the accumulation of all of those has been highly regarded by the people that nominate and sit on the board, who think I’m worthy of a spot in there, so it is a real honour to be there.”

The International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on May 8, but Palfrey was not sure that she would attend.

While she would love to be there, she said the 19.7km Rottnest Channel Swim in Western Australia next month and a world-first 125km ocean swim between the Hawaiian islands of O’ahu and Kauai’i, in April were her primary focuses.

http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2010/01/27/110215_sport.html

http://www.thewaterisopen.com/news/full/stars_inducted_in_the_international_marathon_swimming_hall_of_fame

http://www.worldopenwaterswimmingassociation.com/index.php?page=blog_page&team_id=53&cat=swimmers&nid=3749

Thanks Steven for another great write up and thank you to everyone who’s sent me their best wishes for our upcoming Hawaiian swims ~ Penny & Chris

http://www.worldopenwaterswimmingassociation.com/index.php

http://www.thewaterisopen.com/news/full/an_amazingly_audacious_attempt_-_the_72-mile_channel_between_oahu_and_kauai

Thank you Steven Munatones for your excellent report on www.thewaterisopen.com