Twenty-eight years after swimming the English Channel at age 22, and twenty-four years after circumnavigating the water around Manhattan Island, Marty McMahon, a former president of the Windsor Chamber of Commerce in Connecticut, has his heart set on achieving the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming by swimming the Catalina Channel in Southern California on July 17. And, heart is truly what this swim is all about for McMahon.

McMahon, who currently heads the WCC’s tourism committee, is taking on the athletic challenge to raise money and awareness for Autism Services and Resources Ct ASRC (www.ct-asrc.org); McMahon’s son Denis has Asperger  syndrome, which is part of the autism spectrum.

According to Open Water Source, the marathon swims in the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming constitute 21 miles across the the English Channel between England to France, 28.5 miles around Manhattan Island and 20.2 miles of the Catalina Channel.

In an e-mail to newsandviewsjb, McMahon provided a link to an excellent interview with him and his college age son by John Holt of WFSB. In it, Denis McMahon speaks of his father’s swimming ability and humorously of his own goals. It is a good watch and includes footage from a story on McMahon’s 1985 English Channel swim.

To view the interview go to: http:/www.wfsb.com/global/category.asp?c=208507&autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipld=9087542#UeGeWksUabs.facebook

To check on McMahon’s progress tomorrow visit http://www.myathletelive.com