PHOTO/Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau

Diana Nyad comes up out of the water and onto Smathers Beach after her successful swim from Havana to Key West on Sept. 2, 2013.

Key West to honor Diana Nyad Monday

SPECIAL TO KONK LIFE

On the eve of the one-year anniversary of her successful swim from Havana to Key West, marathon swimmer Diana Nyad is to be honored near the location where she stepped out of the ocean Sept. 2, 2013.

Monday’s ceremony at Smathers Beach (near beach entrance 11) is to begin at 10 a.m. and features an unveiling of a bronze plaque to be installed by the City of Key West on the promenade wall in front of the beach. The public is invited to attend and Nyad is scheduled to be present.

“For Key Westers, Labor Day 2013 will always be remembered as the day that Diana finally realized her dream,” said Key West City Commissioner Teri Johnston, who is helping to organize the event. “Thousands were present to cheer that historic moment as she emerged from the water and told the crowd to ‘never, ever give up.'”

Michael Shields, board chair of Key West’s Art in Public Places said eventually a life-size bronze sculpture of Nyad will augment the plaque. “We intend to stage an international competition to select the sculpturist to create the commemorative artwork,” Shields said. “A jury panel has been convened, comprised of government and community cultural leaders.”

At age 64 and on her fifth attempt, Nyad became the first person to swim from Havana to Florida without a shark cage. She completed the almost 111-mile trip in 52 hours and 54 minutes. Nyad first attempted the feat in 1978 at age 28.

More than 30 years later she began training to try again, making two attempts in the summer of 2011 and another in August 2012.

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