SAN PEDRO : Cheers Greet Legless Man After 28.5-Mile Swim
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Cheers and honks greeted a legless man in San Pedro when he completed a 28 1/2-mile swim to raise money for charity.
Carlos Costa, 21, of Toronto came ashore Sunday night after his 15-hour swim from Catalina Island. Nearby boats honked their horns in encouragement.
“He never slowed down. He was swimming strongly the entire way,” said Bill Petrasich, who accompanied Costa in a boat. Every 1 1/2 hours, Costa drank a nutrition drink through a long tube attached to a plastic bottle held by his coach, Vicki Keith, who holds 14 world marathon swimming records.
Costa’s legs were amputated when he was 2 1/2 years old because of a birth defect. His swim benefited Variety Children’s Charities of Southern California.
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