Doug McConnell Called a Hero Despite Early End to Epic Hawaiian Swim for ALS

365 Barrington, by Liz Luby | August 31, 2016

Marathon swimmer Doug McConnell and his wife Susan returned to Barrington this morning after Doug and his A Long Swim Team set out to conquer a 27+ mile swim across the open-ocean between the Hawaiian islands of Molokai and Oahu. Their mission? To raise awareness for ALS along with funds to help researchers find a cure. Doug’s route was the Ka’iwi Channel which translates to the “Channel of Bones”. Known for 15-foot swells, choppy waves, jellyfish and sharks, only 35 solo swimmers have successfully made it across. Just as Doug was arriving to start his swim, Hurricane Darby entered the picture, becoming only the fifth known tropical storm to landfall in Hawaii since 1958. Read the entire article here.