Over 300 swim in Florida Keys to restore aging lighthouse

MIAMI - Over 300 swimmers from the United States and several other countries competed in an 8-mile open-water challenge Saturday to raise awareness to fund the restoration of an aging lighthouse off the Florida Keys.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida, resident Maximiliano Paccot, 28, emerged from the Atlantic Ocean Saturday as the fastest individual swimmer at the Swim for Alligator Lighthouse with a time of 3 hours, 11 minutes and 10 seconds.

Originally from Uruguay, Paccot came to the United States on a World Aquatics sponsorship and has competed in open-water swims around the world.

Kristin Ates, 33, of Gainesville, Florida, was the top female and fourth overall finisher with a time of 3:54:14.

Athletes swam to Alligator Lighthouse off Islamorada, rounded the decommissioned beacon and came back to the start/finish line at Amara Cay Resort.

Connor Signorin, 32, of Tampa, Florida, finished on the top 2-person relay team with a time of 3:58:13, partnered with his cousin Maggie Owens, 33, of Clearwater, Florida. Veteran participant Signorin was the top overall swimmer in the past three competitions.

Last year's top female finisher, three-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer Brooke Bennett, 44, of Clearwater, competed this year on the top 3-person relay team that finished in 3:25:05. Her relay team partners were Clearwater's Konrad Ciolko, 41, and Brian Hatlelid, 41, of Palm Harbor, Florida.

The top four-person relay team, finishing in 4:29:40, included Port Orange, Florida, residents Natalie Heidrich, 57, and Karen Castaneda, 28; and Ormond Beach, Florida, residents Ana Angelov, 33, and Lenny Frazer, 68.

Founded by Florida Keys artist "Lighthouse Larry" Herlth, the annual race is staged to raise awareness about the need to preserve the 151-year-old Alligator Lighthouse and five other aging lighthouses off the Florida Keys. The event also raises college scholarship funds for Keys students interested in competitive swimming.

Constructed to warn ships away from the Florida Keys reef tract, the lighthouses are no longer maintained, as their function has been replaced by modern Global Positioning System navigation.

Established in 1873, the lighthouse was named for the former U.S. Navy Schooner Alligator that grounded on the reef in 1822. Despite its name, there are no alligators that swim near the lighthouse, as those reptiles live in freshwater habitats and the lighthouse is in the saltwater ocean.