Paul Asmuth has nailed it! He gives us a formula for success in marathon swimming and in life. Through his unique relationships and open water experiences, Paul recounts his successes and failures, and how these challenges both shaped and fulfilled his quest to become one of the greatest marathon swimmers of all time. You’ll learn life lessons, gain valuable training tips, take a crash course in ocean and river currents, get to know world-famous coaches, and be encouraged to overcome your life challenges. Pull up a world map on your smart device and trace the steps that earned Paul an induction into the celebrated International Swimming Hall of Fame.
My honor was to have been Paul’s trainer during his first Around the Island Swim, a 23-mile course around Absecon Island, otherwise known as Atlantic City, New Jersey. As Paul will share, God’s hand guided him in this new direction when his hopes of competing at the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games were dashed by the U.S. boycott. He found himself in unchartered waters, and having spent summers lifeguarding and boating at the Jersey Shore, I took a keen interest in Paul and his inaugural swim. At the time, I was the University of Arkansas swim coach, and I hooked up Paul with my former Springfield College coach and mentor, Charles (Red) Silvia, who helped start Paul on a new training regimen in preparation for his first victory—the very race in which I was able to resurrect the knowledge I had gained during my rowing days as a Wildwood, New Jersey, lifeguard. Growing up on the back bays of Jersey gave me an advantage in helping Paul navigate the back waters of Absecon Island.
Paul was as hardworking as any Olympian or national champion I have ever coached in the pool. He demonstrated the determination and grit that few sportsmen exhibit. From the very first, he overcame any fear of the deep and of the creatures beneath, endured the harrowing ordeal of swimming for eight hours straight in fluctuating temperatures and currents, and was willing to suffer the mental fatigue and excruciating physical pain that accompanies such endurance feats.
Reading Paul’s story will not only enlighten you further to the world of marathon swimming, but you’ll soon discover that Paul is as great a person as he was a world-class swimmer. So, dive on in and be swept away in a current of aquatic and life experiences from around the world.
—SAMUEL JAMES FREAS, EDD
OLYMPIC COACH, USA NATIONAL TEAM
COACH OF WORLD-RECORD HOLDERS AND OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS
COLLEGIATE COACH OF THE YEAR
PROFESSOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN PERFORMANCE