About the February Fitness Challenge

The February Fitness Challenge is an annual event for Masters swimmers (age 18+). The goal is to swim as much as you can, and compare your total distance swum during the month with other swimmers in your club and around the world. Many swimmers set a target of 100,000 yards total distance. Any type of swimming is permitted—lengths swum with a pull buoy or a with kickboard count the same as plain swimming.

History

The February Fitness Challenge originated in 1993, so this year will mark the 31^st year of the event. Unfortunately, we had to cancel the 2021 event because of many pool closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We saw many of our past swimmers return in 2022 and 2023. The Tualatin Hills Barracudas in Beaverton, Oregon have been the host club for the past 24 years. Approximately 100–300 swimmers participate each year, across all age groups from 18–24 to 90–94. Most swimmers are from the United States, but the event is open to any Masters swimmer worldwide. Several swimmers from the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada have participated in recent years.

Originally the February Fitness Challenge was a postal event. Swimmers would track their daily distances and mail us their completed entry forms in early March. In 2018, we moved to this online system, where swimmers can use this website to log their workout distances on a daily basis. Now you can see how you compare with other participants during the month, instead of waiting for a final results booklet to be mailed in March.

Event Notes

Please take note of the following event features and rules:

• You have 7 days after swimming to enter your distance on this website. You cannot wait until the end of the month before entering all your totals.
• You must complete your registration (including the $15 entry fee) before you can access the web site's main features (distance tracking, leaderboards, achievements, etc.)
• You can set a total distance target for the month and track your progress toward that goal. You will see what average yardage you need to swim each remaining day to meet your target.
• You can earn Achievement Badges based on your swimming results for the month. Badges are awarded at several distance thresholds, swimming on specific days, and for swimming some numbers of consecutive days. Some badges are more challenging to earn than others…
• T-shirts and caps can purchased at any time, but not combined with the registration fee. You can go to our team store to order merchandise. Shirts can be ordered with a "100,000 Yard Finisher" banner on the back if you reach that achievement.
• The final results booklet (PDF) will be emailed to every participant at the conclusion of the event. We will also send you a personal certificate (PDF) with your final yardage total and earned achievement badges.

As always, we value your feedback, so please feel free to contact us with your thoughts and suggestions!

Women's Records

Age Group	Name	City, State	Year	Yards
18–24	Jaymi MacKenzie	Lexington, KY	2010	200,000
25–29	Kathleen Davison	Reston, VA	2006	238,500
30–34	Tricia Commons	Thousand Oaks, CA	1997	258,000
35–39	Dawn Bergeson	Cottonwood, MN	2001	418,400
40–44	Dawn Bergeson	Cottonwood, MN	2004	486,800
45–49	Lynn Kubasek	Laguna Beach, CA	2008	422,577
50–54	Lynn Kubasek	Laguna Beach, CA	2009	633,600
55–59	Lynn Kubasek	Laguna Beach, CA	2014	460,100
60–64	Carlita 'Lee' Durand	San Diego, CA	2003	390,720
65–69	Jewell Grigsby-Martin	Stafford, VA	2000	515,800
70–74	Jewell Grigsby-Martin	Stafford, VA	2005	601,650
75–79	Jewell Grigsby-Martin	Stafford, VA	2008	364,000
80–84	Jewell Grigsby-Martin	Stafford, VA	2012	229,100
85–89	Jewell Grigsby-Martin	Stafford, VA	2017	179,700
90–94	Jean Escarge	Wilkes-Barre, PA	2016	11,680

Men's Records

Age Group	Name	City, State	Year	Yards
18–24	Brad Boekes	Fargo, ND	1996	203,500
25–29	Tom McCrae	Menlo Park, CA	2005	725,533
30–34	Mike Hall	Terre Haute, IN	2002	353,000
35–39	Chris Shoup	Conyers, GA	2000	541,000
40–44	James Begly	Goshen, IN	2003	456,700
45–49	Jim Fitzpatrick	Laguna Niguel, CA	2000	761,000
50–54	Jim McConica	Ventura, CA	2005	616,000
	Jim Fitzpatrick	Laguna Niguel, CA	2009
55–59	Kent Price	Palo Alto, CA	1994	575,000
60–64	Michael Nasta	East Meadow, NY	2008	443,920
65–69	Kent Price	Palo Alto, CA	2007	545,600
70–74	Virgil Young	Hannibal, MO	1996	297,000
75–79	Richard Taylor	Levittown, PA	1996	396,000
80–84	Harry Redpath	Brisbane, QLD AUS	1999	181,000
	Ian Redpath	Brisbane, QLD AUS	2005
85–89	Ian Redpath	Runaway Bay, QLD AUS	2010	104,552
90–94	Gene Crosset	Seattle, WA	2005	41,250

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