Longtime open water swimmer Alex Kostich made history on Aug. 5, crossing Lake Tahoe in 4 hours, 28 minutes, 55 seconds, the fastest crossing time, according to the World Open Water Swimming Association.
The 12-mile trek across was what the open water community calls the “True Width” of Lake Tahoe. The True Width course is named for the widest part of Lake Tahoe, spanning from Homewood on the west shore to Glenbrook on the east. From 2018 through 2025, 177 athletes completed the crossing under official rules.
Kostich broke the previous record by about 15 minutes, set by Jorge Angel in 2019.
His support crew consisted of Lexie Kelly, observer Suzanne Heim‑Bowen, and pilot support from Pacific Open Water Swim Co.
Kostich is no stranger to open water success. He has earned several podium finishes in many of the world’s biggest races. He is a three-time winner of the Waikiki Roughwater Swim and was the first to circumnavigate Pitcairn Island, according to WOWSA.
He said it was “a small step in rebuilding confidence, esteem, and self‑worth.”
It has been a tough year for Kostich.
“This year started off very unexpectedly for me,” Kostich told WOWSA. “My husband left me in January after 26 years – he just abandoned the marriage after meeting someone else, and I haven’t heard from him since. So in an effort to heal and begin regaining my self-esteem, I picked 3-4 ‘pillars’ to achieve this year to help rebuild the foundation of my life. Swimming across Lake Tahoe’s true width was one of these pillars; something well outside my comfort zone which I thought could bring me joy and distraction, however temporary. … It was driven by my devastating loss and heartbreak.”
Kostich said the swim helped him on his healing path.
“Finishing in record time was just an unexpected surprise,” he said. “At the halfway point, I was at 2:17 which put me on track to be below the 4:43 record. It was at that point I started doing math in my head and wondering what a negative split would achieve and I realized I could potentially be under 4:30, which became a bit of the carrot I went after in those last couple of hours. … The mental preparation is another beast—there is no room for doubt in an attempt like this. And doubts creep in. Impostor syndrome haunted me; but if there is one thing I am it is loyal and consistent-and I had put in the work in the pool for years, and that counted for something. I mentioned my mantra of ‘Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable,” this was something Jordan Cannon (an accomplished rock climber I met here in Tahoe) told me and it really resonated; I’ve felt there’s a common bond swimmers and climbers share; they’re crossing bodies of water or scaling vertical bodies of stone with nothing but their grit to face the elements, unassisted.”
Fastest 5 Solo Crossings – Lake Tahoe “True Width”
Alex Kostich — 4:28:55 — Aug 5, 2025
Jorge Angel — 4:43:10 — Aug 2, 2019
Anna Newman — 4:48:38 — Aug 27, 2018
Allison Arnold — 4:49:53 — Aug 10, 2024
Kevin Scott — 4:53:09 — Aug 2, 2024
Read the full WOWSA interview here.
