Competitors from the ocean come face-to-face with their freshwater challengers in the Endangered Species Athletics swimming event. These athletes have steadily trained for this day by swimming against the current and consuming a diet of raw, lean proteins and leafy greens. Now, they will see how their preparation pays off as they compete the win.
Diana Fryad, Bull Trout, Team River
Hometown: Salmon River Basin, Idaho
Length: 18 inches
Weight: 2 pounds, 1 ounce
About Diana: Like many other bull trout, Diana was born in a streambed, protected in the intergravel spaces of the redd (or nest) her mother built the previous fall. She took her time before deciding to emerge, spending her first few weeks learning about the first two C’s of her habitat needs: Cold water and Clean from too much sediment between the gravel. After all, if sediment filled the streambed, where would future young Fryads hide?!
She may have taken her time to emerge, but once Diana found her metaphorical stream legs, she was unstoppable, beating all her siblings to the best larvae. She grew fast by training in the smaller, quieter streams near her birthplace. Then, when she was finally big enough to graduate to the next level, she took off to explore larger waters downstream. Along the way, she learned about the other C’s of her habitat needs: Complex streams with a variety of features such as woody debris, large rocks, pools and riffles, and Connectivity of streams so she could keep swimming.
Swimming History: When she was four years old, Diana’s swimming career really began. It was the first of her annual migrations, and now she fights the current each fall to find the perfect spot to build her own redd. Only the best will do for future Fryads, so after her first 100-mile swim upstream, she pushed herself to swim farther every year. Her parents told her not to go chasing waterfalls, but each year she does just that. She hears the call and makes her way upstream, jumping small falls until she finds the best spot. She can’t help it—she was born to go the distance.
Swim Race Stats: Diana’s first career swim four years ago took her 101 miles up the Salmon River, and each year she has gradually lengthened her journey. She broke her personal record last year by swimming 135 miles.
Motto: "Just keep swimming!"
Michael Kelps, Southern Sea Otter, Team Coast
Hometown: Morro Bay, California
Height: 48 inches
Weight: 62 pounds
About Michael: Michael Kelps might be the smallest marine mammal in the world, but he’s here to prove that size doesn’t matter—with enough dedication, anyone can win!
Michael’s workout starts with a nutritious meal. His metabolism is so high that he eats 20 to 30 percent of his weight in crabs, clams and urchins every day! Sometimes, he even stores a few clams in his armpit so he can bring several snacks to the surface at once. When he’s not training, Michael enjoys frolicking with his friends, grooming his thick fur, and wrapping himself in a blanket of kelp or seagrass for a well-deserved nap. Michael is also a champion for the environment, ensuring that kelp and seagrass beds remain healthy in his beloved ocean home.
While his feats are dazzling to onlookers, Michael appreciates having space to focus on training. Keeping a respectful distance is the best way to help sea otters stay healthy and wild. Learn how to be a supportive and ethical spectator here.
Swimming History: Michael got his love of diving from his mother. When he was a young pup, she would leave him floating in the water, wrapped in kelp, while she dove to the ocean floor searching for food. Watching his mom inspired Michael’s passion for diving, something he started practicing when he was a few weeks old.
Swim Race Stats: Michael is a well-rounded swimmer, but his specialties lie in deep diving and repeat breath-holds. Every day, he tries to dive deeper and longer to make his mother proud. Most sea otter dives are less than 80 feet and last only 1 to 3 minutes. Currently, Michael can dive to 280 feet and can hold his breath for a whopping 7 minutes. His goal is to reach 300 feet before the competition.
Motto: "Don’t botter da otter."
Azi O'Hell, Ozark Hellbender, Team River
Hometown: Eleven Point River, Arkansas
Length: 13 inches
Weight: 2 pounds, 8 ounces
About Azi: With four legs and a tail, this friendly, aquatic salamander weighs in at a whopping 2.5 pounds. An unconventional opponent, Azi says he’s been racing his buddies, Walleye and Trout, up and down the river since he was a child and won’t let his lack of fins hold him back. Azi’s mom said that the other kids would make fun of him for his looks when he was growing up, calling him ‘snot otter.’ She’s proud of her son and is happy to see him thriving; she knows he will come home a winner. Although Azi is bummed to miss out on some of the summer fun at home, he’s promised his friends he’ll come back home with some new stories and maybe even some cool, new water tricks.
Swimming History: Growing up in the Eleven Point River, Azi is familiar with obstacles like fast rapids, motorized boats and alluvial deposits or floating sediments, giving him an advantage should there be similar challenges in the competition.
Swim Race Stats: Azi’s unique build will make him stand out from the other competitors. As a completely aquatic salamander, he has a powerful tail and four legs, which may give him a distinct advantage in near ground maneuvering.
Motto: “They say I came from hell, but I’m sending the competition back without me.”
Minnie "Min" Know, Arkansas River Shiner, Team River
Hometown: Hydro, Oklahoma
Length: 2 inches
Weight: 0.11 ounces
About Minnie: Min is an Arkansas River Shiner, a hardy fish adapted to the volatile waters of the South Canadian River, where the hot summer sun can raise water temperatures to nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and oxygen concentrations can dip dangerously low. But whether it’s the temperature or the competition, Min can handle the heat. Her strong gills keep her muscles oxygenated under almost any circumstance, making endurance swims a breeze.
Min’s sandy colored back helps her camouflage into the sandy riverbed, which is especially helpful when low water levels leave her stranded in shrinking pools where her haters, wading birds and snakes, like to hangout. When she's not slicing through river currents, Min searches for small insects under sandbar shelves. She’s very passionate about river conservation, as she wants her descendants to inhabit the South Canadian River for generations to come.
Swimming History: Min's mother pushed her into becoming the athlete she is today. On the day of Min’s birth, Mama Know carefully pushed her egg into a flood surge. As an embryo small enough to fit through the eye of a needle, Min watched through the clear membrane of her egg as 135 miles of riverbanks zoomed by. When she was ready to stretch her fins, she broke out, carbo-loaded on a few milligrams of detritus and a larval stonefly, then started swimming. A year later, she returned to her upstream home after an aquatic ultra-marathon and was gram for gram one of the worlds strongest swimmers, a real pint-sized piscine prodigy.
Swim Race Stats: The South Canadian River is the only place where Arkansas River shiners still live, and channelization means that heavy rains turn it into a torrential waterslide. With fins so thin you can see through them, Min pushes against flows her ancestors couldn’t imagine. But Min hasn’t let that slow her down. Swimming 135 miles in one year would be a feat for anyone, but at less than 2 inches long, the journey is over 4 million times her length. The only things that stop her are river blockages like dams and the increasingly common droughts that segment the river.
Motto: "Go with the flow? Then I’d end up downstream!"
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