BALTIMORE — Katie Pumphrey is preparing to make her second Bay to Baltimore swim, a 24-mile route from the Chesapeake Bay to Baltimore's Harbor Place Amphitheater, after becoming the first person to complete the challenge last year.
"2024 was a big milestone. I got to high five like hundreds of Baltimoreans. I got to throw out the first pitch at Camden Yards, which was an unbelievable experience," Pumphrey said.
"But really, I knew the moment I finished the swim that I wanted to do it again," she said.
Hear Katie Pumphrey reflect on last year's race and what could be expected for this year
Pumphrey's historic swim last year faced unexpected challenges when the event was postponed to late June following the Key Bridge collapse, creating difficult conditions for the endurance athlete.
"I trained for cold water, so last year with the water temperature being, you know, 80 to 83. That is warmer than most pools," Pumphrey said.
"Being able to do it earlier in May here, the water temperature is going to be much more ideal. The weather is not quite as hot as late June, so in the water I should be a lot more comfortable. My crew should be a lot more comfortable on the boat for many hours," she said.
For this year's attempt, Pumphrey plans to start at 12:00 a.m. on Monday, earlier than last year's 3 a.m. departure, hoping for better water conditions.
"For the first few hours I'll be fighting an outgoing tide. Then you get a little bit of slack where it's more neutral," Pumphrey said.
"And then the last half of the swim should be kind of with that incoming tide. Last year, I finished in 13 hours 54 minutes. I would love to swim it faster this time. The goal is to finish safely," she said.
Despite the physical achievement, Pumphrey says the community support made the biggest impact on her during last year's swim.
"That was just the most incredible day of my life. You know, people were out on the water, out on the shore with signs starting at dawn," Pumphrey said.
" I saw little girls holding up signs, got photos and a lot of cheers and waves, and as we made our way towards Baltimore, which is more and more and more people, truly just Baltimore shows up," she said.
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