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Swimming Toward a Lifetime Goal

Diana Nyad, 61, explains her motivation for attempting to swim 103 miles from Cuba to Key West

by: Diana Nyad, from: AARP, Updated August 18, 2011

In early August, marathon swimmer Diana Nyad, 61, set out to swim 103 miles from Cuba to Key West, Fla., in open water and without a shark cage. After 29 hours of enduring shoulder pain, asthma and bad weather conditions, she abandoned her attempt. In this piece, written prior to the swim, Nyad explains her motivation for trying to achieve this challenging athletic feat. … Back to Article

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