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Richard Wilde swimming the English Channel September 12, 2016Hauppauge HS graduate Richard Wilde class of 1990 swims. Richard has been swimming since he was seven years old when he was a member of the Hauppauge Sea Eagles. During his years of swimming Richard developed the goal of swimming the English Channel (21 miles depending on the swimming pattern may be as much as 26 miles).
Fast forward to September 12, 2016 the date that Richard Wilde completed his goal and swam the English Channel from England to France in twelve hours and twenty two minutes.
After completing this remarkable feat he said he was very cold for many hours in the beginning of this endeavor dealing with strong winds and rough seas. He very much appreciated all the support he had from his wife, son, family, friends and most all of Hauppauge.
How important was the support of the Hauppauge community? Wilde said he couldn’t have done it without the continued encouragement from them. During his stay in England preparing for his swim he received numerous emails and texts from the people in Hauppauge which helped him to stay strong and accomplish his dream.
Hauppauge’s Richard Wilde had a dream come true because of his tireless commitment and a little help from the people of Hauppauge.
Richard Wilde is a Lieutenant in the NYC Fire Department and currently lives in Brooklyn.