Maya Merhige swam around the entire island of Manhattan for 28.5 miles, with the support of her crew including her kayaker, Eric. On July 15, Merhige successfully swam around the entire island of Manhattan in eight hours and 43 minutes. 'I didn't know that I was breaking records'The 20 Bridges Swim isn't Merhige's first attempt at a long-distance swim. "When I started swimming, I didn't know that I was breaking the records, at all," she says. In preparation for her long-distance swims, which fall under the category of open water swimming, Merhige usually trains for three months.

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Persons: Maya Merhige, Eric, Merhige, who've, Liz Tung, she's, She's, Hamilton, Merhige's, there's, Alexander Hamilton Organizations: Berkeley Calif, Swim, CNBC, Catalina Locations: Manhattan, New York City, Molokai, Oahu, Hawaii, California