Conn. woman breaks record for Manhattan to N.J. swim

    A Connecticut woman has broken the record for fastest swim from Manhattan to Sandy Hook, New Jersey, the AP reports. 

    Fifty-two-year-old Elizabeth Fry of Westport swam a difficult 17 and one half miles in just four hours and 59 minutes Tuesday morning. That broke a record of five hours and six minutes, set by Australia’s Tammy Van Wisse in 2006.

    NYC Swim spokesman Dave Herscher says Fry, who suffers from asthma, also became the first swimmer — male or female — to complete the course, finishing the 35-mile round trip at Battery Park City in lower Manhattan Tuesday night.

    Two years ago she became the first woman to swim clockwise around Manhattan.

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    The race was part of the Ederle Swim, named for Olympic gold medalist Gertrude Ederle.

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