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Josh completed this feat on 8/9/2006. He swam the 24.7 miles in 11 hrs., 53, minutes, 36 seconds; shattering the former record holder Robert North’s time in 1989 by almost 1 hour. His journey started from Long Point Ontario to Freeport Beach, North East, Pa. after 9:00 am, and he completed the swim just after 9:00 p.m. While he did not finish with the SwiMP3 on, he commented on how the SwiMP3 helped him tremendously in his record-breaking crossing. Josh and Dr. Mark Hogue, sport psychologist who helped him with his mental skills training especially focused on the middle part of the swim. “Josh had always told me that he had no concern for the first or last 5 miles of the swim, but he always asserted that ‘the middle 14.7 will be the toughest.” This was based on personal training as well as advice he had received from Bob North and Harvey Snell, both who crossed together in North’s initial record-setting swim in 1989.
“The SwiMP3s were essential to help Josh in that middle portion of the swim” reported Dr. Hogue. “I just put the players on and cruised for over 8 hours; I was in a zone” replied Heynes while on the beach just moments after the swim. Dr. Hogue also taped a motivational voice-over on one track, with motivational music on another track. He converted these to MP3 files and these were down-loaded into the SwiMP3 player. This not only helped him in his record breaking swim, but it was “essential for my long hours of training,” commented Heynes. Much of Josh’s training was aimed at enhancing his mental state to help him get into a “zone," “ or, “flow” in his swim. Josh again asserted that the SwiMP3s were an essential part of his training and actual record breaking swim.
Josh takes his first step onto Freeport Beach, 11 hours and 53 minutes after leaving from Long Point, Ont.
Josh is a Clinical Exercise Physiologist employed by Consultants in Cardiovascular Disease and Saint Vincent Hospital in Erie, Pa. Josh has a successful background of competing in sports, particularly in swimming and water polo. He is a former McDowell graduate, class of ‘93, where he was a high school All American in both sports. He later went on to Division I University of Pittsburgh class of’98, where he was a Big East Champion. Josh also was a lifeguard/lifeguard supervisor at Presque Isle State Park for ten years 1990-2000. He presently is involved in many competitions both at local and out of town events and he is an avid triathlete.
Josh has been training since last November for this event. An elite support team was assembled to accompany him during this monumental event. This team consists of St Vincent’s Cardiologist and Sports Medicine Doctors (Dr. James Mackrell, Dr Greg Copolla, Dr. Todd Shatynski), St. Vincent nutritionist (Grace Daily), Chiropractor (Dr. .Eric Mizuba), Sport Psychologist (Dr. Mark Hogue of Northshore Psychological Associates), other local star athletes to be guide kayakers and pacers (Jamie Heynes, Jon Demarco, Mike Collins, Reese Collins) and 2 local boaters Eric Burger and Dave Walsh, All of these professionals donated their time and effort for this historic event.
The original record time was 12 hours and 52 minutes for the swim from Long Point, Ontario to Freeport Beach in North East, Pa accomplished by Bob North in 1989. Mr. North was Josh’s Manager during the time he was employed at Presque Isle. Josh now holds the current record at 11 hours, and 53 mins.
Read Josh's SwiMP3 Testimonial!
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