September 18, 2023 — Lewis Pugh made it. After more than 300 miles of swimming through the Hudson River — a journey that included an unforgettable day on the Marist campus — the endurance swimmer and environmentalist arrived at Manhattan’s Battery Park last week. Pugh’s journey started in the Adirondacks in mid-August, and though he met many supporters along the way, he says his memorable day at Marist on September 5th stands out.

While speaking to assembled news reporters and a group of supporters, including Marist President Kevin Weinman and his wife Beth Weinman, Pugh was thankful for his day together with the Red Foxes.

Lewis Pugh speaks with President Weinman and his wife Beth Weinman during visit to Marist.

“It was so special to swim with the Marist swim team, water polo team, crew team, and even the president and his wife,”  Pugh said. “Back in England, the university chancellors and their students could never swim in the rivers given how polluted they are. So, the Hudson should be a beacon of hope for the rest of the world.”

On Sept. 5, Pugh was joined by a Marist contingent that included more than two dozen student-athletes. Members of the swim and water polo teams swam along with Pugh and the Weinmans in the Hudson, while the crew team boats followed along. 

Pugh in the Hudson River with Marist student-athletes, President Weinman, and his wife Beth Weinman.

The Marist contingent followed Pugh for a little under one mile, joining him in the water from Quiet Cove Riverfront Park, north of campus, and ending at the dock across from the historic Cornell Boathouse, while Pugh continued on for the rest of his leg for that morning and later returned to for a panel discussion which included Marist students. 

See a full recap of Pugh’s day at Marist here.