Through fog and hail: Navy doctor is first S’porean to complete 192km Hudson River swim in New York

SINGAPORE — Dr Chua Jia Long swam for hours and hours to build his endurance, and dunked himself in a tub of 17 deg C water weekly to get used to the cold that awaited him.

But he still got a shock when he dipped his toes in the frigid waters of New York’s Hudson River for the first time two weeks ago.

The 32-year-old medical officer in the Republic of Singapore Navy said: “Muscles that I didn’t even know I had, began immediately cramping.”

Last Friday, Dr Chua became the first Singaporean to complete the 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim, covering 192km – about the length of Singapore’s coastline – in about 44 hours, spread across seven days.

He is only the 24th person in the world to achieve the feat.

The Hudson River challenge, often called the longest marathon swim in the world, had been a long-cherished dream for Dr Chua, who included a charity component in his swim last week.

He is raising funds for St Luke’s Hospital in Singapore, where he served as a medical officer in 2021 as part of his residency training.

He said: “Back then, I was involved in both inpatient and outpatient care, and saw the support that St Luke’s was providing to the community, so I wanted to do my part for the hospital.”

After surpassing his target of raising $25,000, Dr Chua revised the target to $250,000. So far, more than $68,000 has been raised.

Having taken part in marathon swimming since 2019, Dr Chua was comfortable swimming long distances in open water, but the 8 Bridges swim was still a daunting task. After all, the longest distance he had swum competitively before this was a 10km stretch in Thailand, before the Covid-19 pandemic.

When he arrived in New York and visited the river for the first time on June 6, poor weather and a glowering orange sky – caused by wildfires in Canada – threatened to add to the challenge of completing the swim.

“During the competition days, there were thunderstorms, fog and hail. Once, I could see the finishing point from about 2km away. A few moments later, I couldn’t see anything but fog,” he said. “There were also times when the winds were really strong, and would push me in the opposite direction, forcing me to slow my pace.”

Despite the “discouraging” conditions, Dr Chua – who was accompanied by a boat and a kayaker throughout the race to ensure his safety and guide him in the right direction – battled through the challenges.

Physically, he was well prepared, thanks to a gruelling training regimen.

He woke up at 4.30am daily to swim up to 5km, and ended the day with another session in the pool. He gradually increased the distances and duration of his swims, and eventually worked his way up to cover 20km – or 400 laps of the pool – in about 6½ hours.

All those hours were worth it when he completed the final stage of the race last Friday, swimming past the Statue of Liberty and Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, which leads out into the Atlantic Ocean.

“After completing such a big competition, we receive just a certificate. But it means a lot. It gives more meaning to your passion,” he said.

His initial trepidation over tackling the Hudson River race is now just a footnote in his list of achievements, and his success in New York has only spurred him to take part in more such swims in other parts of the world.

He said: “This experience has strengthened my willpower, and showed me what I am able to achieve. It has also given me better knowledge and the skill set to cover other rivers, lakes and oceans in the world next.”

Those who wish to donate to Dr Chua’s fund-raising project can do so at

https://str.sg/iUox