Harpur grad swims across Hudson
As an experienced competitor in triathlons, Dr. Bruce Yang '91 is used to taking his body to the limit. Seeking to make the best of a tragic situation, he decided to try something he'd never done before.
Recently, Yang became the first Asian-American to race swim across the Hudson River. In this fundraising event for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Yang placed No. 39 out of 171 finishers and raised $1,305 for the charitable organization. His time was one hour and 41 minutes.
The New City-based optometrist said he found inspiration from a 7-year-old patient who has leukemia.
"It was very sad for me to see a little kid like that go through something so traumatic," Yang said. "But, he was in good spirits. I wanted to do something to honor his bravery."
Yang said he swam part of the Hudson during a triathlon in New York City, but the 3.1-mile swim that ended upstream near Irvington was a much bigger challenge. He said it was tough to swim against the fierce currents and see the buoys that marked off the course.
"Some swimmers got carried away by the current and wound up near Yonkers," Yang said. "A boat had to come pick them up."
His young friend has moved away, and was not able to attend the race in person. However, Yang said he was there in spirit, sending encouraging e-mail messages.
After enduring such a grueling athletic test, you'd think the biological sciences major would be more than happy to take a few weeks off. But, he has no plans to slow down, and is currently training to run as a pacer in this year's New York City Marathon.
He'd love to hear from his old pals from Dickinson Community, Off Campus College Transport, and the Asian Student Union. He can be contacted at BruceYang@aol.com.
Top photo courtesy of Franz Beautie; bottom photo courtesy of Di Wolfy. |
