Benjamin Casey will be swimming solo in this year’s Swim Across the Sound Marathon, and he’ll be swimming in wake of a marathon legend of sorts – his uncle, Tom Casey.
Tom Casey was a beloved and familiar face to Swim Across the Sound. His passion for swimming and raising funds for the underserved were second to none. He first participated in the marathon in 2001, and after being diagnosed with stage IV renal cancer in 2012, Tom returned to swim in 2015 with his team, The Survivors. Tom swam in his final marathon in 2021, before losing his battle to cancer later that year.
Tom’s nephew, Ben, was born and raised in Bridgeport, but his family moved to Florida in 2006 when Ben was just 10 years old. “I swam as a kid, but not competitively,” Ben said. “But in 2008, when Michael Phelps was competing in the Beijing Olympics, I fell in love with the sport.” After that, Ben asked his parents to sign him up with a local, recreational swim team and eventually joined his high school swim team.
“I set a goal for myself to achieve team captain and to break a school record,” recalls Ben. “I achieved both of those goals in my senior year.” Ben went on to swim at Florida State University and also participated in water polo.
After college, Ben was looking for more opportunities to swim and reconnected with his uncle Tom back in Connecticut. In 2017, Ben and his father committed to swim in the marathon with Tom on his relay team.
“It was a picture-perfect day in Connecticut. I’ll always remember that. It was cool to be together with family and be a part of it all,” said Ben.
Although the Swim Across the Sound Marathon was forced to take a hiatus in 2020 due to COVID, Ben returned to swim with his uncle last year. Since then, Ben knew he wanted to swim the marathon as a solo swimmer.
“My uncle had mentioned that he hoped one day he would either be able to swim the event solo, or that someone in the family would,” Ben said. “I know it will be emotional without my uncle there, but I’m proud to be able to achieve this goal for both of us.”
Crossing the finish line
“It was a true sense of accomplishment,” Ben recalled. “Seeing Captain’s Cove, and my family and friends, it’s a real thrill. Even though I’m swimming solo, I don’t feel as much pressure this year. My uncle got to see me swim last year and that meant a lot. He was such a warm, friendly presence. He never really let on how sick he was. He would still get in the water and still be training and fundraising. I use his mindset as my own, personal motivation.”
