Solo Swims of Ontario Inc.Solo Swims of Ontario Inc.
PEPSI CHALLENGE, 1978
Capitalizing on the great success of the Wrigley-sponsored CNE swims from 1927, Pepsi sponsored the 1978 cross-lake race as a part of the launch of their PEPSI CHALLENGE advertising
programme.
As with international, marathon swimming events of that time (presumably to maintain spectator interest), swimmers were required to be finished, or exit the water, 3 hours after the winner had
finished.
The weather also turned bad during the 1978 (a feature that John said favoured his abilities) and many swimmers were forced to get out of the water 3 hours after his 13:49 finishing time. This included
ALL of the Ladies and (as if to indicate the significance of the weather conditions, this time-constraint, and John's amazing speed), Loreen Passfield successfully crossed the lake on the same course in
15:43 in the following year !
A comprehensive report, entitled (The Machine Cranks Up", appeared in the 28 August 1978 issue of Sports Illustrated.
Nine of the World's greatest men and women marathon swimmers took part in the race.
6 MEN (5 Finished)
1. John Kinsella (25), USA, 13:49. (Other Listings)
2. Claudio Plit (23), Argentina, 15:01. IMSHOF Inductee 1981
3. Raul Villagomez (27), Mexico, 15:09. Openwaterpedia
4. Magdy Mandour (23), Egypt, 15:19. Openwaterpedia
5. Bill Heiss (26), USA, 15:57. Openwaterpedia
Ahmed Youssef Amin, Egypt Openwaterpedia
3 LADIES (0 Finished)
Loreen Passfield - Openwaterpedia
Kim Lumsdon - Openwaterpedia
Angela Kondrak
Over 45 years after his crossing of Lake Ontario in 1978, John's time of 13:49 remains the fastest by far on this couse. . . and it was achieved under quite adverse conditions . . . None of the ladies
finished within the race's required 3-hour time limit after the first finisher.
As an indication of the deteriorating/poor conditions, Cindy Nicholas had set the Ladies record of 15:10 four-years earlier but was clearly not within the 16:49 required to finish in the Pepsi Race !
In the following year, another top-class lady competitor, Loreen Passfield, crossed the lake in 15:43.
Both Cindy and Loreen, along with Kim Lumsdon, swam on the Professional circuit in that era.
Cindy went on to set the ladies record the following year.
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| The NOTL Start Bill Heiss (Left) & John Kinsella |
Some of The Other Competitors Back: Ahmed Youssef Amin and Jon Erikson Front: Kim Lumsdon, Angela Kondrak and Loreen Passfield . |
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| The 1978 Finish at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) in Toronto | The Finish | John & his Fiancée Christine Kalber |
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In his 2023 YouTube interview with IMSHOF
chairperson, Ned Denison, John described the
Lake Ontario race as his "Longest swim" - a
feature which he noted favoured his abilities.
YouTube Link |
John is an internationally-accomplished swimmer and the are a number of links to articles and listings on his swims:
Sports Illustrated, 28 August 1978 Good write-up with details of the event.
WOWSA Blog "When The Machine Dominated, A Look At The Pro Circuit in 1977"
There are extensive lists of his swims, including:
. Openwaterpedia
. Wikipedia: Coverage of John's time as an Elite Sprinter
. Long Swims Database
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IMSHOF
Created: 10th February 2023
Last Updated: 16th February 2023
