Community Corner

Coventry Resident Attempts 100-Plus Mile Swim for Charity

Gandy uses his decades of swimming experience to raise money for a cause close to his heart.

Forty-nine-year-old Ray Gandy, a Wood Cove Drive resident for the past 16 years, began swimming at Highlawn Pool in St. Albans WV when he was seven years old. Two years later, he joined the Greater Charleston Swim Association and began year-round training and participation in meets. At 12, he began training with Greg Olsen as his coach and thanks to a rigorous fitness regimen, was named State Champion multiple times, participated in several National Junior Olympics and was ranked as high as 6th in his age group nationally. 

During his time at Clarion State College (later renamed to Clarion University of Pennsylvania,) Gandy continued his swimming, winning multiple PSAC state championships and eight NCAA Division II All-American meets. After graduation at the age of 17, he thought he had closed the book on that chapter of his life.

"I never knew it would be a lifelong act," said Gandy. "I thought I was done swimming for good after college. I went to work, got married and had a daughter. When we moved to Wood Cove and were on the lake, a friend stopped by with an extra pair of swim goggles - something I hadn't put on for 18 years."

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The friendly gesture inspired Gandy to begin swimming and training again at the YMCA in Plainfield, CT on his lunch break from his job at United Technology Corporation several days a week and soon after met Frank McQuiggan, the coach of SwimRI, a group of masters swimmers across the state. By taking part in practices, meets and clinics, Gandy renewed his love of competitive swimming, leading to several top ten finishes, both in the country and the world in his age group.

In 2001, Gandy began participating in open water swims, beginning with the Save the Bay swim that began on the Newport side of the Newport Bridge to Jamestown, a distance of 1.7 miles that took him roughly 40 minutes. It was during this swim that Gandy had a brief choking bout when he inhaled water. "I had to get control of my anxiety," he said. "I could have really gotten hurt, but I finished and it was exhilarating."

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During the same year, Gandy swam the eight-mile Lake Champlain race, beginning in Willisboro Point, NY and finishing at Blodgett Beach in Burlington, VT. "There was a big difference between the Save the Bay swim that took me 40 minutes and this one that took me four hours," he said. "After I was done, I was very emotional. I began to think 'If I can swim for four hours and eight miles, I can do more.' It's been an evolutionary thing, from eight to 12, then 15, 20, 24, 25 miles. It made me start thinking about the English Channel because that's the pinnacle of open water swimming."

Gandy has since participated in swims from Port Jefferson, Long Island to Captain’s Cove in Bridgeport and one in Tampa Bay. His first two professional swims were the 25.5-mile Lake George in 2007 that he completed 24 miles of and the 20-mile Lake Memphremagog, also in 2007.

Gandy swam and won the Boston Light Swim in 2007 and 2008 and in 2009, swam the English Channel, covering the 21 miles from England to France in 13 hours and 34 minutes. In 2010 he was awarded two world records from the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame after swimming twice around Conanicut, covering 41.2 miles in 20 hours and 17 minutes. He became the first Rhode Islander to do so.

The English Channel swim was the first that Gandy participated in to raise funds for charity, when he supported the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. He has since raised over $11,000, $7,500 of which has been raised for his next endeavor, the 50/50 Swim Challenge. The swim will be one of the longest ocean water distances ever made, covering more than 50 miles along upper and lower Narragansett Bay and back. He will perform the 25-30 hour swim with his friend, 33-year-old Elaine Howley of Waltham, Mass on July 9th.

Gandy and Howley have been receiving sponsorships at $250 per mile, and have already exceeded their goal of $5,000. 

"This has been a big event," said Gandy. "I cannot believe the response. I never thought I could fill 50 miles, and now we've had to create "extra miles" because of the amount of donations we've received."

When asked why he began swimming for charity, Gandy explained that his wife, Donna was diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) in 1992, allowing his family to be touched by many people in support of her recovery. 

"My wife and my family, we haven't really talked about all of the stuff that went down," he said. "It was pretty scary and life-changing. It raised demons, but it also raised angels - doctors, nurses, practitioners - we had a lot of support from many people."

"When my wife came out of treatment and was very frail for a few years, we went to the movies quite a bit, but because of her compromised immune system, being around a lot of people wasn't a good idea. We contacted the manager of the Showcase Cinema and he arranged for us to have private viewings. He would come in early or leave late just so we could see a movie. This allowed me to see what people can do for others. I have this kind of crazy obsession and passion now. If I can help to raise awareness and funds to help others, I do it. It's a lot of these funds that have aided in the research that has helped many people."

The opening ceremonies for the 50/50 Swim Challenge will begin promptly at 8:45 a.m. on July 9 at Chelo's Waterfront Restaurant in Warwick. Howley's swim will start at 9 a.m. and Gandy's at 10 a.m.

Gandy offered advice to anyone who is interested in pursuing open water swimming. 

"The local Save the Bay swim is a wonderful way to start," he said. "It's such a great event and there are so many people around to provide help. There are also groups that swim together at different points across Rhode Island, like Potter's Cove, Newport and Roger Wheeler. If anyone is interested, they can contact me and I can set them up with groups of people that welcome new folks and can show them the ropes."

For more information about the 50/50 swim, check out the event website

To contact Ray or to read more about his swimming experiences, visit his website or send him an e-mail at Ray@rayswims.com.


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