Winnetka Woman Wraps Up 2018 With 24-Mile Swim Across Tampa Bay

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — A Winnetka woman headed into the new year with a 24-mile swim across Tampa Bay in Florida.

Marcia Cleveland, 54, has been a marathon swimmer for 27 years. She kicked off her swim across the bay at 6:15 a.m. on New Year's Eve and completed the dawn to dusk swim in 11 hours and 19 minutes.

A member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame, Cleveland has completed long-distance open water swims across the English Channel, the length of Lake Tahoe, Manhattan Island, Long Island Sound and Key West, earning several world records along the way.

In July, Cleveland finished what she described as the toughest swim of her life. She spent just over 15 hours in 53-degree waters to swim across the North Channel from Scotland to Ireland, completing it on her first attempt.

Cleveland said she expected the Tampa Bay swim to feel like a "bathtub" compared to the North Channel, which left her delirious and suffering from hypothermia by the end of the trip.

"I am deeply humbled and grateful to have accomplished this swim," Cleveland wrote . "As I continue to reflect back, I am overcome by a sense of relief and, at times, a cringing sense how close I came to not making it. The North Channel has confounded countless more capable swimmers than myself, yet I was successful on my first attempt."

Cleveland has been the head coach of the North Shore Masters Swim Club since 2010 and was the swim director of Vision Quest Coaching in Highland Park until October 2018. She is also the author of "Dover Solo: Swimming the English Channel," considered essential reading for aspiring marathon swimmers, according to her website.

The Tampa Bay Marathon Swim has been staged for the past 20 years in celebration of Earth Day. It is one of the world's longest marathon swims, according to race director Ron Collins. The next competitive swim will be held April 20.