by vasanti | Oct 14, 2025 | Extreme Sports, Extreme Swims, marathon swimming, Peace Run, Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team
40 years EC anniversary swim, dedicated to PEACE – and no 2 of the Triple Crown
On Sept. 12, 2025, Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team and Peace Run team member Vasanti Niemz (68) from Heidelberg, Germany, accomplished the iconic “20 Bridges” open water marathon swim around Manhattan Island, dedicating it to PEACE in honour of the United Nations 80th anniversary, the 55th year of Sri Chinmoy Peace Meditations at the United Nations and the International Day of Peace coming up on Sept. 21st.
At the moment she is the oldest female ever to complete this 48,5 km (28,5 mile) current-assisted swim, with a time of 9 hours and 34 minutes. The Peace Torch of the Sri Chinmoy Oneness Home Peace Run was lit at the start and at the end and carried on the boat by her local boat crew Pipasa and Jamini. The swim is organised by New York Open Water (NYOW), who provide the accompanying safety boat and kayak including pilot, observer and kayaker. It was Vasanti’s longtime dream to swim around Manhattan, but for a slower swimmer it became only possible recently, with separate starts now in smaller groups of similar speed and the start time adjusted accordingly to the tidal currents, so the swim would be mostly current-assisted.
The start into the East River and past the UN was quite “lumpy” with strong headwind against the current, but into the Harlem River and in the first part of the Hudson the waters were calmer than expected. At the end it picked up again, but NYOW posted “Vasanti is finishing strong” . “We were delighted to actually finish over one hour ahead of schedule – and so much faster than the 12 hours I had kind of expected in case I might slow down towards the end, with strong headwinds and reduced endurance training this year due to a few infections,” Vasanti commented.
It was very special to swim in honour of the 80th UN anniversary and at the same time celebrate a personal 40th anniversary of her first English Channel swim of Sept. 9, 1985.
T
he Manhattan swim is part of the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming (Engl. Channel, Manhattan + Catalina), and she is planning to attempt the 3rd swim – Catalina Channel – in August 2026, for another age record.
” Individual self-transcendence
Collectively inspires
Humanity at large.”
“A self-transcendence-mind
Has peace.
A oneness-heart
Is peace.”
– Sri Chinmoy
by vasanti | Feb 12, 2015 | Peace Run, Training
As a child I loved swimming and snorkling in the Adriatic sea in Croatia when we used to go there on holidays with my grandparents. After so many years, it was a very nice experience to spend the New Year’s holidays of 2014/15 on the spectacular Croation coast together with 
our team, including friends and a number of English Channel girls and boys from literally all over the world – New Zealand, Australia, USA, Canada, Brazil, Guatemala, Europe… Meditation, swimming (outside temps down to below freezing for a few days, water around 14°C), running along the scenic coast, 
Peace Run activities in Dubrovnik (UNESCO world heritage) and at the Ston Walls as part of local races, a Song of the Souls concert and lots of fun activities like a swim-run, a treasure hunt and some sightseeing made this holiday quite memorable. Apart from a few rainy and quite stormy days we were blessed with lots of sunshine and calm seas. (We were actually unable to land in windy Dubrovnik even after couple of attempts by the pilot – left and right of me people were using their sickness bags, but I felt fine and protected, surprisingly, with a handful of other teammembers on board. So we had to be diverted to Split, which resulted in a special 3 hour bus trip around midnight down along the moonlit coast to our hotel in Orasac.)
The run-swim (it was too cold to start with the swim and run in wet clothes) at the end of our stay was such great fun – people were even allowed to walk in the water just to get as many as possible to participate. The more adventurous and hardened swimmers chose the long course out to the other beach and back. For quite a few it was pure self-transcendence to get into the chilly water – but they ended up loving it!
Here a few more impressions:
by vasanti | Nov 4, 2013 | Peace Run, World Harmony Run
After swimming to Africa (Gibraltar Straits) in Oct. 2012 and some more Peace Run activites this summer in Europe (UK and Germany), it felt like the time for me to finally join Peace Run Africa, which will be converging from the north, south and central Africa in Arusha on Nov. 6th. Starting Nov. 8th, a mixed very international team will then carry the torch up Mount Kilimanjaro, hopefully all the way up to Uhuru Peak – to the highest point in Africa (5895 m)! I am sooo excited!!! Summit day will be the 12th. Support prayers welcome!
I am aware of the danger of altitude sickness, especially with a short 6 day tour (Marangu route), and we will respect any serious signs of that. However, my father did it (still a smoker at that time) when he was 3 years older than I am now, also Marangu route – so there is hope! Last night watched the DVD “Kilimanjaro – Summit of Freedom” (German, “Gipfel der Freiheit”) – very inspiring and great for some last inner and outer preparation!
I am bringing my Peace Torch from Heidelberg – so the school kids will be even more excited next time, when Africa has been added!
Another highlight or our trip was going to be our visit to Tegla Loroupe and her Peace Foundation and her to her Peace School in Kapenguria, Kenia, which we have been supporting for many years – but for several reasons, the Kenia part was cancelled for now, we will go there later. Peace Run South Africa and Ethiopia are on their way.
Here some impressions from the Peace Run/Harmony Run of the past:
More on: www.peacerun.org/fa
→ Interesting facts on Mt. Kilimanjaro
At the moment she is the oldest female ever to complete this 48,5 km (28,5 mile) current-assisted swim, with a time of 9 hours and 34 minutes. The Peace Torch of the Sri Chinmoy Oneness Home Peace Run was lit at the start and at the end and carried on the boat by her local boat crew Pipasa and Jamini. The swim is organised by New York Open Water (NYOW), who provide the accompanying safety boat and kayak including pilot, observer and kayaker. It was Vasanti’s longtime dream to swim around Manhattan, but for a slower swimmer it became only possible recently, with separate starts now in smaller groups of similar speed and the start time adjusted accordingly to the tidal currents, so the swim would be mostly current-assisted. 
