OCEAN CITY – The fastest male and female swimmers at the 42nd annual T. John Carey Master’s Swim Saturday morning were 18 and 12 years old, respectively, but age did not limit the field of competitors.
Racers love the challenge of the mile ocean swim, whether doing it for the first time on a dreary morning with the clouds spitting rain or for the 20th time.
Ocean City Beach Patrol Lt. Holly Lesser said there were 108 racers registered for the race but eight didn’t show up, probably because of the predicted rain, which mostly held off.
“We’re happy with that, especially with the weather forecast. I think that’s excellent, about the same number as we had last year,” Lesser said. “In the height of this race we used to be close to 200, so we’d like to get back up to that number of competitors,” she added.
The beach patrol hosts the competition and monitors the racers with lifeguards on paddleboards and personal watercraft along the course.
Rhett Cosgrove, 18, of Radnor, Pa., won the race in 25 minutes, 44 seconds and 12-year-old Madelyn Elko of Egg Harbor Township was the first female in 26:55 – and fourth overall – just ahead of second-place female Lillian Smith, a teenager from Pittsburgh, Pa.
Age just a number
Pointing to a group of men including her husband, Jerry Horowitz, Liz Casey, of Beesleys Point in Upper Township, joked before the race that her motivation was “to shame all these people.” Seriously, she said, “I’m a lifelong swimmer and it’s fun to compete even at 57.”
Casey noted she has done the swim “a million times.”
She likes the Master’s Swim because it usually runs south to north, ending at 34th Street. “I’m a left-side breather (swimming freestyle) so I can sight,” Casey explained, being able to keep her bearings in the ocean by watching landmarks. “Plus there is just the history of the Master’s Swim and a lot of people I don’t see (regularly) come back for this swim.”
“Tradition,” Horowitz said about his reason for doing the Master’s Swim. “I’ve been doing it probably for two decades now. I like the challenge and I enjoy it. I enjoy open water swimming more than pool swimming. I’m not a good flip-turner and there are no turns (in the ocean) so that’s good for me,” he said, laughing. He does most of the open-water swims in Cape May and Atlantic counties. “I look forward to it every year.”
There isn’t much competition with his wife.
“Regardless of how much of a head start I have, she beats me. And that’s OK,” he said. Casey was first in the women’s 50-59 age category.
“For some reason I enjoy it,” said Ocean City’s Bill Hooper, who is 75 years old. “It’s an opportunity to be out in the sea and I also have the tradition of doing it with my son. It’s something we look forward to. It’s a chance to be with my son in nature, competing. It’s great.” Hooper’s son, Jason, wasn’t able to make this year’s race, but Bill suited up anyway. Asked how long he planned to keep doing the Master’s Swim, he pondered it for a moment. “Geez. As long as I can,” he said. “I keep in shape.”
Hooper noted there was a swimmer last year a decade older than him. That was Ocean City’s Bill Pugh, who finished the course at age 84 in 2021. Pugh didn’t compete this year – he said he didn’t keep in good enough shape over the winter – but he did come down to support the finishers who included his son, Bob, who was sixth overall and won his 50-59 age group.
Patrick Kane, president of the Ocean City Board of Education, said he used to do the Master’s Swim as a kid, but hadn’t done the race since before COVID.
“I just like getting outside and swimming with friends and people from the community. It’s just great being outdoors and being active,” Kane said. “I’m excited to be getting out here,” he added. He didn’t mind the light rain. “You’d prefer sun and blue skies for sure,” he said, “but the ocean’s flat so that’s great. It will be a great day.”
Amy Schlereth of Cape May Court House was getting ready for the swim with her husband, Dennis. She hadn’t been to the swim in a few years, but before COVID had “probably done it 10 years in a row. Doing open water swims in the summer is nice. It gives you a reason to train and it’s always fun to come out and still be competitive.”
Saturday was the first year for Dennis. Asked about his motivation, he smiled and looked at his wife. “She told me I was getting fat and needed to exercise,” he said, laughing. “I’ve only done one ocean swim in my life. This will be my second one.” He wasn’t at all trepidatious. “I was a competitive swimmer. I think I’ll be good. I’m not looking forward to the temperature.”
The water was 63 degrees Saturday morning.
Family and friends
Truly Sommer, 15, was with her younger brother, Kelly, 12, their mom, Lisa, and friends Theresa Henion and her son, Andrew, 14. They are all from Collegeville, Pa. The Sommers have a house on Fourth Street in Ocean City.
Although Lisa Sommer had done the Master’s Swim once before, it was the first for Truly and Kelly.
“What motivated me to do it is I’ve always wanted to do it and it’s better if I get it done early rather than later. I think I can do it,” Truly said. Not only could she do it, she won the 15-and-under category and was the fastest among her Collegeville group.
She is a swimmer in high school who does mid-distances including 500 freestyle. “I can pretty much do anything. Whatever my coach puts me in,” she said. “I’m always in the ocean, but I don’t practice in the ocean.”
“I’ve always wanted to do it and I’ve seen my mom do it so I think I can do it too,” said Kelly, who also is a competitive swimmer.
“I love that, I think it’s wonderful,” Lisa Sommer said about motivating her son.
“We love the ocean. We’re definitely beach people and we all swim competitively so we just want to combine our love for swimming in the ocean with our competitiveness,” Lisa said.
Theresa Henion concurred. “It’s going to be great. I’m excited. We all love swimming. We all love the ocean. It’s a good combo,” she said.
The fastest swimmers
In her first-ever ocean race, Elko was the fastest female.
She is the daughter of Brian and Samantha Elko of Egg Harbor Township, and granddaughter of Glen Chabotar, who was there cheering her on.
Although she has swum a mile in a pool, she hadn’t done it competitively in the ocean before. She trains and competes with the Seahawks team; her dad is the coach.
“I kind of just stayed with people and raced them until the finish,” Elko said, adding it feels “pretty good” to be finishing in the top five overall, only 15 seconds after the third-place male. The biggest difference from pool swimming, Elko said, was dealing with the waves, currents “and more people following you.”
She had fun and said more ocean swims are in her future.
Cosgrove, at all of 18 years old, is no stranger to the Master’s Swim, having won it in the past.
“This is my fourth time,” he said. “I started after eighth grade and kept coming back every year.” A lifeguard beat him in his first try, but he won the race the next year. Ocean City’s Dolan Grisbaum beat him last year, but Saturday Cosgrove got his second title.
His mother and father did the race when they were younger “so to come back and win it is pretty cool,” he said. “It’s a fun race.”
Cosgrove, a new high school graduate who will be swimming for the College of William and Mary next year, said he’s not much of a distance swimmer, “so if I’m in the lead I try to make it as slow of a race as possible and then go fast at the end because I have more confidence in my speed then.”
Although the college doesn’t have an open water swim, they are going to do a fundraiser for cancer research next year in the James River in Virginia, he said. That race will be two or three miles.
2022 Master’s Swim
Top 10 Males
1. Rhett Cosgrove, 25:44
2. Brian Walters, 26:24
3. Frank Brady, 26:42
4. Bobby Pugh, 27:15
5. Rob Montgomery, 28:11
6. Ron Marks, 28:14
7. Jacob Yushan, 28:27
8. William Jenkins, 28:52
9. Jeff Reilly, 29:53
10. Doug Bergen, 30:00
Top 10 Females
1. Madelyn Elko, 26:55
2. Lillian Smith, 27:07
3. Hannah King, 29:25
4. Truly Sommer, 29:43
5. Liz Casey, 30:40
6. Melanie James-Cosgrove, 30:56
7. Keanna Voso, 30:57
8. Caitlin Moore, 31:24
9. Tess Andes, 31:44
10. Kathleen Coggshall, 32:18
For full results, go online to splitsecondracing.net
By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
