USAUnited States

Ted Erikson

Second swimmer to complete a Channel double · 30 hours 3 minutes

Birthplace: Montana, United States
Education: Bachelor’s and master’s degrees, Illinois Institute of Technology
Work: Research chemist and mathematics, physics and chemistry teacher
Military service: United States Navy
First Channel success: 1964, England to France in 12 hours 35 minutes
Channel double: 1965, England–France–England in 30 hours 3 minutes
Family connection: Father and supporter of Jon Erikson
Died: 1 December 2021

Biography

Ted Erikson brought a scientist’s curiosity to marathon swimming. Born in Montana, he served in the United States Navy and joined a swim team while stationed at Key West. At the Illinois Institute of Technology he became an undergraduate swimming captain, earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and later worked as a research chemist. He also taught mathematics, physics and chemistry.

His long-distance career developed through ambitious Lake Michigan swims. In 1961 he travelled from Chicago to Michigan City in 36 hours 37 minutes; further journeys reached Kenosha in 1962 and St Joseph in 1963. He then turned to the English Channel. A successful single crossing in 1964 formed the opening leg of an unfinished double attempt. In 1965 he completed the return journey in 30 hours 3 minutes, becoming the second person to swim a Channel double. His experiments with computer-assisted tidal planning show how closely he connected swimming with practical scientific questions.

Erikson later swam from the Farallon Islands to the Golden Gate Bridge and encouraged other Channel swimmers, including his son Jon. He was aboard the support boat when Jon completed the first triple crossing in 1981. His own marathon achievements earned Hall of Fame recognition in 1978. He died on 1 December 2021, leaving a legacy shared between swimming, teaching and scientific work.

Selected Channel swim records

Successful first leg of an attempted double

Ratifying body's record checked

Only the successful England-to-France leg is recorded. The planned return was abandoned; the duration of the overall attempt is not treated as a completed double.

Elapsed swim time · 12h 35m

Duration of the complete swim

Started · Exact start date not confirmed · Clock time not confirmed

Finished · Exact finish date not confirmed · Clock time not confirmed

Timing note · The year is confirmed, but the inspected primary records do not establish an exact calendar day or either clock time.

Format · Solo · 1-way

Direction · England → France

Pilot / piloting team · Winters and Liddon, as named in the museum caption

Ratification / historical recognition · Channel Swimming Association

How this record was checked

CSA record 2483 confirms the successful 1964 one-way swim and 12:35 duration. Dover Museum’s caption names pilots Winters and Liddon and explains that worsening weather ended the subsequent return attempt. Its conflicting catalogue year is not used.

Channel Swimming Association: Ted Erikson, 1964

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · United States nationality, England-to-France one-way result of 12:35 in 1964.

Dover Museum: Ted Erikson photograph, item d56421

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · Caption identifies the 1964 first leg in 12:35, pilots Winters and Liddon, and an abandoned return.

Limitations · Catalogue metadata says 1960 while the detailed caption says 1964. The CSA’s independent 1964 result supports the caption; metadata is not used as the swim date.

Successful two-way Channel swim

Ratifying body's record checked

This was one completed two-way performance. The contemporary annual report describes earlier unsuccessful attempts and experiments with computer-generated tidal plans.

Elapsed swim time · 30h 3m

Duration of the complete swim

Started · Exact start date not confirmed · Clock time not confirmed

Finished · Exact finish date not confirmed · Clock time not confirmed

Timing note · Only 1965 and the minute-precision elapsed duration are confirmed. No day, start clock or finish clock has been inferred.

Format · Solo · 2-way

Direction · England → France → England

Pilot / piloting team · Reg Brickell Senior

Ratification / historical recognition · Channel Swimming Association

How this record was checked

CSA record 2434 and the contemporary CSA annual report agree on 30:03 for the completed double. The Association’s obituary identifies Reg Brickell Senior as the pilot. Exact calendar dates and independent leg splits are not supplied by the inspected primary sources.

Channel Swimming Association: Ted Erikson, 1965 two-way

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · 1965 England–France–England result of 30:03.

CSA 1965 annual report in the BLDSA annual report, PDF page 16

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · Contemporary account of three double attempts, computer-assisted planning and the successful 30:03 swim.

Limitations · Inspected report does not establish an exact day or clock time.

Channel Swimming Association: Ted Erikson obituary, 1 December 2021

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · Scientific approach, Reg Brickell Senior’s role in the double and death date.

Other events & swims

Lake Michigan — Chicago to Michigan City

Open-water swimming · Solo swim

1961 · exact day not confirmed

McCormick Place, Chicago → Michigan City, Indiana, USA

Completed the swim from McCormick Place to Michigan City.

Elapsed time · 36h 37m

Historical account checked

How this event was checked

ISHOF obituary’s opening career account gives year, route and 36:37 and connects him to the 1965 Channel double. Estimated track distance is deliberately omitted.

International Swimming Hall of Fame: Ted Erikson career obituary

Checked 2026-10-31

Limitations · Historical account; exact days and original timing sheets not supplied.

Chicago to Kenosha

Open-water swimming · Solo swim

1962 · exact day not confirmed

Chicago, Illinois → Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA

Completed the Lake Michigan swim from Chicago to Kenosha.

Elapsed time · 35h 37m

Published distance · 50 miles (historical source account)

Historical account checked

How this event was checked

ISHOF obituary, paragraph beginning with subsequent Lake Michigan swims, gives 1962, 50 miles and 35:37. Exact day and original timing sheet are unavailable in this account.

International Swimming Hall of Fame: Ted Erikson career obituary

Checked 2026-10-31

Limitations · Historical account; exact days and original timing sheets not supplied.

Career milestones

Lake Michigan breakthrough

1961

Swam Chicago to Michigan City in 36 hours 37 minutes.

First Channel success

1964

Completed the opening crossing of an attempted double.

Successful Channel double

1965

Completed the return journey in 30 hours 3 minutes.

Farallon Islands swim

1967

Swam from the Farallon Islands to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Marathon Hall of Fame

1978

Inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame.

Supported Jon’s triple

1981

Accompanied his son on the escort vessel during the first completed three-way Channel swim.

Illinois Tech sporting honour

2022

Included in the university’s inaugural Athletics Hall of Fame class.

Recordings & media

No reviewed recording is available for this entry.

English Channel questions

Which English Channel swims are included for Ted Erikson?: This profile includes 2 selected solo performances for Ted Erikson. It is a selected history, not a complete career total. A continuous multi-way swim counts as one performance.
When was Ted Erikson’s featured English Channel swim?: The featured swim took place in 1964. Its exact day is not confirmed here.
How long did Ted Erikson’s featured Channel swim take?: The featured solo crossing has a published elapsed time of 12 hours and 35 minutes.

Biography sources

Reviewed sources

International Swimming Hall of Fame: Ted Erikson obituary

Open source

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · Ted’s education, occupation, Lake Michigan swims and 1978 honour; Jon’s death in 2014.

Limitations · Not an original observer log; its statement about when Jon first bettered Ted’s double is inconsistent with other records. Historical account; exact days and original timing sheets not supplied.

Illinois Institute of Technology: inaugural Athletics Hall of Fame, 2022

Open source

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · Navy and college swimming, undergraduate captaincy, 1965 double, 2021 death and 2022 institutional honour.

Channel Swimming Association: Ted Erikson obituary, 1 December 2021

Open source

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · Scientific approach, Reg Brickell Senior’s role in the double and death date.

Channel Swimming Association: Ted Erikson, 1964

Open source

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · United States nationality, England-to-France one-way result of 12:35 in 1964.

Channel Swimming Association: Ted Erikson, 1965 two-way

Open source

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · 1965 England–France–England result of 30:03.

Dover Museum: Ted Erikson photograph, item d56421

Open source

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · Caption identifies the 1964 first leg in 12:35, pilots Winters and Liddon, and an abandoned return.

Limitations · Catalogue metadata says 1960 while the detailed caption says 1964. The CSA’s independent 1964 result supports the caption; metadata is not used as the swim date.

CSA 1965 annual report in the BLDSA annual report, PDF page 16

Open source

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · Contemporary account of three double attempts, computer-assisted planning and the successful 30:03 swim.

Limitations · Inspected report does not establish an exact day or clock time.

Associated Press: Swims Channel Three Times, Daily Reflector, 13 August 1981, page 15

Open source

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · Contemporary report of Tuesday departure, Wednesday completion, Wissant landing, explicit leg times, Accord and observer Tom Watch.

Limitations · Spells Jon as John and misstates his father’s historical two-way duration; those errors are not adopted. The public original PDF was downloaded and visually inspected after the web reader returned 403.

Latest source review 2026-10-31.