Ly e
Cox:
The
Swim
That
Lifted
the
I o
Cu tai
Fiftee
yea s
afte
setti g
a
wo ld
eco d
i
the
E glish
Cha el,
30-yea -old
Ame ica
e du a ce
swimme
Ly e
Cox
e te ed
the
38°F
(3.3°C)
wate s
of
the
Be i g
St ait
a d
completed
a
histo ic
2.7-mile
swim
f om
the
U ited
States
to
the
Soviet
U io .
O
7
August
1987,
Cox
swam
f om
Little
Diomede
Isla d
i
Alaska
to
Soviet-co t olled
Big
Diomede
Isla d.
He
jou ey
c ossed
the
I te atio al
Date
Li e
a d
the
heavily
gua ded
bo de
betwee
the
two
Cold
Wa
supe powe s.
Reco ds
f om
the
Natio al
Pa k
Se vice
(NPS)
Sha ed
Be i gia
He itage
P og am
docume t
how
the
swim
followed
a
11-yea
effo t
by
Cox
to
eceive
pe missio
f om
Soviet
leade s.
He
a ival
o
Soviet
te ito y
became
a
impo ta t
mome t
i
US-Soviet
elatio s.
Soviet
Ge e al
Sec eta y
Mikhail
Go bachev
a d
US
P eside t
Ro ald
Reaga
late
p aised
the
achieveme t
du i g
thei
histo ic
uclea
a ms
talks
i
Washi gto
that
yea .
A
eco d-b eaki g
swimme
with
a
peaceful
missio
Cox
was
bo
i to
a
family
of
ope -wate
swimme s.
She
lea ed
to
swim
at
a
you g
age
with
he
b othe
Dave,
while
he
g a dfathe
had
also
completed
a
swim
ac oss
the
Hudso
Rive .
At
15,
Cox
gai ed
i te atio al
atte tio
by
b eaki g
the
ove all
wo ld
eco d
fo
the
fastest
E glish
Cha el
c ossi g
by
a
ma
o
woma .
Th ee
yea s
late ,
she
became
the
fi st
woma
to
swim
ac oss
New
Zeala d’s
Cook
St ait.
The
13.5-mile
c ossi g
took
he
th ough
ough
wate s
k ow
fo
st o g
cu e ts
a d
sha ks.
Cox
fi st
came
up
with
the
idea
of
swimmi g
ac oss
the
Be i g
St ait
i
1976.
She
wa ted
the
jou ey
to
become
a
symbol
of
peace
a d
show
that
o di a y
people
could
build
co ectio s
despite
political
te sio s
betwee
the
U ited
States
a d
Soviet
U io .
Howeve ,
Cold
Wa
te sio s
made
the
pla
difficult.
Fu d aisi g
was
challe gi g,
a d
equests
fo
pe missio
f om
Soviet
officials
we t
u a swe ed
fo
mo e
tha
a
decade.
By
1987,
Cox
had
paid
much
of
the
cost
th ough
he
ow
savi gs
a d
family
suppo t.
Alaska
Ai li es
also
p ovided
he
with
a
f ee
flight.
She
t aveled
to
Little
Diomede
Isla d
eve
though
she
did
ot
yet
have
official
pe missio
to
c oss
the
bo de .
Just
30
hou s
befo e
the
pla ed
swim,
te sio s
i c eased
whe
two
la ge
Soviet
aval
ships
moved
i to
the
middle
of
the
st ait.
US
fighte
jets
we e
the
se t
ove head.
Pe missio
fi ally
a ived
f om
Soviet
leade
Mikhail
Go bachev
o ly
24
hou s
befo e
Cox
was
scheduled
to
e te
the
wate .
Swimmi g
th ough
f eezi g
wate
a d
heavy
fog
The
app oval
also
allowed
local
I upiaq
guides
to
accompa y
Cox
i
t aditio al
ski
boats.
Thei
pa ticipatio
was
sig ifica t
because
it
was
the
fi st
time
i
mo e
tha
40
yea s
that
eside ts
of
the
isla ds
we e
allowed
to
c oss
the
ma itime
bo de
to
visit
elatives
o
the
othe
isla d.
O
the
mo i g
of
7
August
1987,
Cox
e te ed
the
f eezi g
wate
i
thick
fog.
The
cold
immediately
placed
e o mous
st ess
o
he
body.
I
i te views
p ese ved
by
the
Natio al
Pa k
Se vice,
Cox
desc ibed
the
expe ie ce:
“The
cold
was
like
a
huge
vampi e
pulli g
the
heat
f om
my
body.”
She
said
he
fi ge s
became
g ey
f om
the
ext eme
cold.
Cox
had
o ly
a
mag etic
compass
to
help
guide
he
th ough
the
fog.
St o g
cu e ts
th eate ed
to
push
he
off
cou se.
Eve tually,
a
Soviet
suppo t
boat
appea ed
a d
helped
guide
he
towa d
the
sho e.A
E glish-speaki g
Soviet
jou alist
o
the
boat
told
Cox
that
a
official
eceptio
g oup
was
waiti g
fa the
alo g
the
coast.
Although
she
was
suffe i g
f om
seve e
hypothe mia,
Cox
decided
to
co ti ue
swimmi g
alo g
the
sho eli e.
She
late
explai ed
that
she
wa ted
to
each
the
people
waiti g
fo
he
athe
tha
simply
touch
the
ocks
a d
fi ish
the
c ossi g
without
maki g
a
huma
co ectio .
As
she
app oached
the
la di g
a ea,
local
eside ts
a d
Soviet
bo de
gua ds
gathe ed
alo g
the
sho e.
Fo
ma y
of
those
watchi g,
the
mome t
was
especially
mea i gful
because
the
bo de
betwee
the
isla ds
had
bee
closed
fo
decades.
A
histo ic
welcome
o
Soviet
soil
Cox
completed
the
swim
i
two
hou s
a d
five
mi utes.
By
the
time
she
eached
the
sho e,
she
was
too
weak
to
pull
he self
o to
the
ocks.
Two
Soviet
milita y
office s
eached
i to
the
wate
a d
pulled
he
out.
Cox
late
emembe ed
the
wa mth
of
thei
ha ds
a d
hea i g
them
speak
Russia .
Fo
he ,
the
mome t
co fi med
that
the
difficult
jou ey
had
succeeded.
A
medical
te t
had
bee
set
up
o
the
beach.
Soviet
docto
D .
Rita
Zaka ova
t eated
Cox
fo
hypothe mia
usi g
hot-wate
bottles,
i sulated
sleepi g
bags
a d
othe
wa mi g
methods.
The
swim
the
gai ed
i te atio al
atte tio .Late
that
yea ,
du i g
the
Decembe
1987
summit
i
Washi gto ,
D.C.,
whe e
Reaga
a d
Go bachev
sig ed
the
I te mediate-Ra ge
Nuclea
Fo ces
(INF)
T eaty,
the
two
leade s
aised
a
toast
to
Cox.Go bachev
p aised
he
achieveme t,
sayi g:
p oved
by
he
cou age
how
close
to
each
othe
ou
peoples
live.”
c ossi g
also
co t ibuted
to
g eate
coope atio
betwee
the
two
cou t ies
i
the
Be i g
St ait
egio .
I
1990,
US
P eside t
Geo ge
H.W.
Bush
a d
Go bachev
a ou ced
joi t
pla s
fo
i te atio al
co se vatio
effo ts
ac oss
the
Be i g
St ait.
These
i itiatives
helped
establish
the
fou datio
fo
what
late
became
the
NPS
Sha ed
Be i gia
He itage
P og am.
Cox
we t
o
to
w ite
seve al
books
about
he
swimmi g
ca ee .
She
co ti ues
to
wo k
as
a
autho ,
educato
a d
public
speake ,
focusi g
o
subjects
i cludi g
isk
ma ageme t,
e du a ce
a d
teamwo k.
He
1987
swim
emai s
emembe ed
ot
simply
as
a
ext ao di a y
feat
of
e du a ce,
but
as
a
a e
mome t
whe
a
athlete
physically
c ossed
o e
of
the
wo ld’s
most
heavily
gua ded
Cold
Wa
bo de s
a d
helped
demo st ate
the
possibility
of
co ectio
betwee
two
divided
atio s.