More than 16,000 kilometres from New York, Peta Bradley is preparing to swim around Manhattan Island by following a black line on the bottom of a 25-metre council pool at Gulargambone, in the central-west of New South Wales.
The town has a population of about 500 people, and is almost four times the size of Peta’s home town of Armatree, just down the road.
Gulargambone Pool is usually closed during the winter but the cold temperature is where Peta Bradley thrives. (ABC Landline: Adam Kennedy)
Peta, a cold-water swimmer, makes the 25km commute from a sheep and cropping property through the pre-dawn, kangaroo-lined roads to the public swimming pool several times a week.
Long after the pool closed for the season, the Coonamble Shire has allowed Peta to continue using the Alan Walker Memorial Baths for her training.
“The shire’s been so kind and has let me have a key so I can go in and do early morning swims on weekends,” she says.
“They’re keeping the pumps and filters running for me through to the end of May, which is amazing.”
Peta Bradley regularly swims more than 10 kilometres at the Gulargambone Pool while preparing for the New York swim. (ABC Landline: Adam Kennedy)
On the day Landline visits, Peta will swim 18km in the council pool.
“I break down an 18km session like I’ve got to do today into 12 by 1,500 metres,” she says.
“Each 1,500m takes me about 23 minutes. It’s good because I’ll have a quick feed and drink at the end of each 1,500m and then go again.“
That means more than 700 tumble turns.
It’s all part of Peta’s plan to circumnavigate Manhattan Island wearing nothing but swimmers, a swimming cap and goggles, on June 17.
The swim around Manhattan Island can take eight to 10 hours to complete. (Supplied)
Along with the Catalina and English Channel swims, the 20 Bridges Swim around New York is known as an open-water Triple Crown swim.
“You typically start at the southern tip of Manhattan Island and swim counterclockwise for 45km until you reach your starting point again,” Peta says.
“It’s not a race. There aren’t 40 other people in the water with me. It’s myself, a kayaker and a support boat and support crew, so it could take anywhere from eight to 10-plus hours.”
The 20 Bridges Swim is a 45km circumnavigation of Manhattan Island. (ABC Landline)
About 60 solo swimmers complete the 20 Bridges swim each year.
Locals stoked for Peta
Gulargambone locals Cath and David Peart say Peta’s swimming has inspired the community.
“Having somebody who swims at the level Peta does is unusual for a town like ours,” Cath says.
“We all love coming along to do our little 500m or kilometre, and we’re proud of that, but having somebody swim at the level Peta does, we’re really proud of that.”
Peta Bradley learnt to swim in the Gulargambone pool where she’s now training. (ABC Landline: Adam Kennedy)
The Pearts will sometimes swim part of the way with Peta during her training, although Dave considers his style to be more “thrashing” than swimming.
“Wouldn’t be my cup of tea, but I think all power to her, she’ll smash it,” says Dave of Peta and her New York swim.
Peta started swimming as a kid but launched into open-water events while living in Armidale when the local swimming pool was closed due to COVID-19.
She has previously swum the English Channel as part of a team and completed a number of ice swims, including an ice mile at Thredbo in the Snowy Mountains in 2022.
Peta Bradley has also been training on her NSW farm to prepare for the swim. (ABC Landline: Adam Kennedy)
That led Peta to successfully compete at the ice swimming world championships in northern Italy last year, where the water was 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Cold-water swimmer
Peta says there are a few basic rules when it comes to ice swimming.
“The water has to be below 5 degrees, and you’re not allowed to wear anything but a normal set of swimmers and swim cap,” she says.
Peta Bradley and her mum Jenny move ewes on the family’s Armatree farm. (ABC Landline: Adam Kennedy)
“The other rule is after an ice swim you have to be alive 30 minutes afterwards, which might seem a bit funny, but you get coldest when you get out.“
Peta works for Meat and Livestock Australia as a genetics business development manager, often travelling for work.
Her Melbourne-based coach and open-water enthusiast, Mike Gregory, says the sport is infectious.
“If you’re prepared to take a leap of faith, do something that you’re unfamiliar with, then you sort of get fed a little bit on the dopamine,” he tells Landline.
The pair has figured out a way to set Peta’s training program, which also includes swimming in the farm’s dams, via phone and email.
“Being remotely located, dealing with obstacles, and being resourceful are things that set [Peta] up for great success on the day,” Mike says.
Mike Gregory has twice swum the 20 Bridges in New York. (ABC Landline: Maren Preuss)
It hasn’t rained much at Armatree this year and dams are low, but Mike, who has completed the 20 Bridges Swim on two occasions, says one of the biggest challenges for Peta in New York could be heavy rain.
“The water management systems in Manhattan can’t cope with that, and so you basically get raw rubbish and effluent spilling into Manhattan,” he says.
“You do not want to be swimming around Manhattan when it’s occurring.”
Just like the early starts and hundreds of tumble turns she faces in a day’s training, Peta says she won’t be put off by New York’s water quality.
“The last report I heard is you can see your arm out in front [in the Hudson River], which is certainly better than what I can see in the farm dam, so I’ll take that as a win,” she says.
Mike Gregory says heavy rains can pollute the water in New York. (Supplied)
“There are days where it’s hard and days where it’s a lot easier, but I do find myself reflecting on the fact that it’s a privilege to be tired when you get to choose your challenge that you’re tired for, and how lucky am I to be able to choose that challenge and then go and pursue it,” Peta says.
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