Bay Area coach swims marathon on birthday to raise money for youth triathlon team

"Aleksei Averchenko swam 26.2 miles on Wednesday to celebrate turning 33 while raising money for the First Youth Triathlon Team. His 12-hour swim began at 6 a.m. Swimming that distance is a challenge for most athletes, but Averchenko faced an added hurdle. He has lived with a disability since a car hit him while he was biking in 2023."

"“Difficult, and very annoying, boring at some point, but you know it's worth it,” Averchenko said. “It feels very interesting at first, then you have a lot of doubts and regrets, but when people show up it gets better.”"

"Averchenko completed a similar swim last year, raising $20,000 for the triathlon team."

Aleksei Averchenko marked his 33rd birthday with a marathon-length swim in a Menlo Park pool. He swam 26.2 miles over a 12-hour period starting at 6 a.m. He raised money for the First Youth Triathlon Team. Swimming that distance is difficult for most athletes, and he faced an added challenge because he has lived with a disability since a car hit him while he was biking in 2023. He described the swim as difficult, boring, and frustrating at times, with doubts and regrets, but said it improved when people showed up. He completed a similar swim the previous year and raised $20,000.

Read at ABC7 San Francisco