Vegan Swimmer 'Flies' Down the Hudson

PETA Foundation Staffer Makes a Splash as the First Person to Swim 10K Hudson River Race With Butterfly Stroke

For Immediate Release:
October 6, 2011

Contact:
Shakira Croce 202-483-7382 

New York -- At the start of the 10K international Little Red Lighthouse Swim in New York's Hudson River, vegan swimmer Becky Fenson was off like a shot—but much to her competitors' shock, Becky wasn't swimming freestyle. She was swimming butterfly, something that no one had ever done in that race. Fenson, a PETA Foundation staffer, kept up with her competitors, and at the race's end, she had swum every stroke of the 6 miles butterfly.

"Becky is living, breathing, record-setting proof that athletes thrive on a vegan diet," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "A heart-healthy, fiber-rich, plant-based diet is a great way to boost your energy—and you'll help animals too."

Born in New York and raised there and in Connecticut, Fenson graduated from the University of Michigan in 1989 after four years on the swim team. She began open-water swimming after moving to San Francisco in 1994. Several years later, Fenson went vegetarian out of concern for animal welfare and suddenly found that she had extra energy—energy that she used to start swimming her races butterfly. Fenson was the first person on the books to swim the Alcatraz swim butterfly (and was one of the top finishers), and she went on to swim several more Bay Area races butterfly, never even wearing a wetsuit.

Fenson is available for interviews. For more information, please visit PETA.org or click here.