Rad Grom Alert! 13-Year Old Becomes Youngest Person to Complete Tahoe’s Godfather Swim

Spencer Cox |
Lake Tahoe
Photo credit: Squaw Alpine

You know the feeling when you see a kid send it way harder than you at the ski resort? Well, James Savage is one of those kids, but instead of skiing, this guy is charging hard as an open water swimmer.

Last week, 13-year-old James Savage became the youngest person to ever complete Tahoe’s famous Godfather open water swim. This 12-mile swim spans the width of Lake Tahoe, starting at Cave Rock and finishing at the Godfather mansion in Homewood. James got an alpine start and embarked on his endeavor at 4:30 am.

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Alpine start! This is an incredible feat of its own for a teenager. Photo credit: Team Savage

James completed two goals which he set for himself. The first was to be the youngest person to complete the swim. His second goal was to finish in under 7 hours which he managed to pull-off with a time 6 hours and 59 minutes. What a stud…

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A point to point 12-mile swim across Tahoe. Photo credit: Team Savage

James comes from a competitive swimming background, but at the age of 8, he was drawn to open-water. Since then, James has compiled quite an impressive resume of completed open-water swims. He has swum from Alcatraz to San Franciso, circumnavigated Angel island, and has finished the Tahoe Vikingsholm swim… just to name a few.

Tahoe
Mid-swim. Photo credit: Team Savage

For the future, James hopes to be the youngest swimmer to complete the Tahoe Triple Crown which is comprised of the Godfather, Vikingsholm, and the brutal 21.3 mile Tahoe Length swim. The record is currently held by a 15-year old, which allows James almost two years to complete the swim and break the record. He currently plans to attempt the swim next summer when he is 14.

James’ completion of the Godfather is an incredible accomplishment (especially considering that 1 mile of open water would make most people’s shoulders and lungs burn) and he’s still hungry for more. If you want to see what James is up to in the swimming world, check out his Facebook page to stay up to date on his swimming savagery. Way to go James!

James Savage putting in work! Photo credit: Team Savage

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One thought on “Rad Grom Alert! 13-Year Old Becomes Youngest Person to Complete Tahoe’s Godfather Swim

  1. Wow! I don’t see a wetsuit, unless this is just a training pic? Seven hours at 65 degrees, with the fingers much colder, sounds way tough.

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