Most people would consider swimming across open sea for hours an impossible challenge. For Alizon Ruiz, it has become a way to test just how far endurance can take her.
The Filipina swim coach and hybrid athlete has completed another extraordinary open-water feat, swimming approximately 24 kilometers from Leyte to Bohol in 11 hours and 16 minutes on August 23.
The journey placed her in the middle of open waters for most of the day, with changing waves, currents, fatigue and the unpredictability of the sea becoming part of the challenge.
Filipina swim coach and hybrid athlete Alizon Ruiz during her open water swim from Leyte to Bohol. Photo courtesy of Ruiz
Ruiz began the swim at around 5:27 a.m., as the sun was rising. The first part of the journey was relatively calm, but conditions became significantly more difficult as she continued.
From around the first kilometer until the 21-kilometer mark, waves came from different directions, sometimes making her feel as though she was barely moving forward.
And yet, she kept going.
The sea was her only lane
Unlike a swimming pool, there were no lane markers to guide Ruiz and certainly no wall waiting at the end of every lap.
She relied on a stand-up paddleboarder who stayed close beside her throughout the crossing, while the rest of her support team followed on a boat. The team had also paddled the route about a month earlier to familiarize themselves with the waters and identify landmarks that could help guide Ruiz toward her destination.
For a swim that lasted more than 11 hours, having a support system was essential.
Ruiz had a feeder and first aider on the boat, along with a photographer, videographer and observer. The documentation was particularly important because the swim is being prepared for submission to the Marathon Swimming Federation for ratification.
So while Ruiz’s job was essentially to keep swimming, there was an entire team working around her to ensure that the attempt could be properly documented and supported.
24 kilometers of patience
Long-distance swimming is not simply about being strong enough to swim for hours.
It is also about knowing when to conserve energy.
During the crossing, Ruiz fed herself approximately every 45 minutes during the first several hours. Her supplies included energy gels, watermelon and banana, while she had to briefly tread water whenever she needed to drink.
Then came another reminder that the ocean does not always cooperate with the person challenging it.
At one point, a jellyfish stung Ruiz on the face. “It’s really painful,” Ruiz told ABS-CBN News, describing how she took medicine from her first aider before continuing the swim.
The physical demands became even more intense during the final stretch. After approximately 23.5 kilometers, Ruiz began experiencing serious signs of exhaustion, including difficulty with her breathing and visual disturbances. Still, she pushed through until she reached the 24-kilometer mark.
“I just submit myself to the water”
What makes Ruiz’s story particularly fascinating is the way she describes her relationship with the water. “I just move through it. I just submit myself to the water and then just move. I enjoy every stroke,” she said.
There is something almost meditative about that statement.
For someone watching from the shore, 24 kilometers sounds enormous. But for the swimmer in the water, the journey is broken down into something much smaller: another stroke, another breath, another few meters.
That mindset may be one of the reasons Ruiz has been able to take on increasingly difficult challenges.
She also said she felt “super confident” in the water, describing it as a place that feels like home. Despite the difficult conditions and physical strain, she said she never felt in danger during the crossing.
Another historic crossing
The Leyte-to-Bohol swim is not Ruiz’s first major open-water achievement.
On August 12, 2025, she swam approximately 23 kilometers from Bohol to Cebu in 11 hours and 30 minutes, becoming the first Filipina to complete that challenging open-water crossing. The achievement was later the subject of a Senate resolution filed to congratulate and commend her.
That earlier swim was also inspired in part by Filipino endurance swimmer Ingemar Macarine, known as the “Pinoy Aquaman.” Macarine had previously completed the Bohol-to-Leyte crossing in 2016, while Ruiz wanted to challenge herself by exploring different Philippine waters and increasing the distance of her swims.
Now, Ruiz has taken on another route and another test of endurance.
She is believed to be the first woman to swim the Leyte-Bohol route, although the current feat is still being prepared for formal ratification by the Marathon Swimming Federation.
She is not doing it just for the records
It would be easy to look at a 24-kilometer swim and assume that the motivation is simply to break records.
For Ruiz, however, there seems to be something more personal behind these challenges.
“Basically just for fun,” she said.
Filipina swim coach and hybrid athlete Alizon Ruiz with her crew. Photo courtesy of Ruiz
But she also wants to use her swims to promote endurance sports in the Philippines, challenge herself physically and mentally, and hopefully make an impact in the community.
That combination makes her journey particularly inspiring.
The goal is not simply to prove that she can swim farther than before. It is also to encourage other Filipinos to discover what their bodies and minds are capable of when they commit to something difficult.
The Philippines’ waters as her playground
There is another beautiful element to Ruiz’s challenges: she is exploring the Philippines one body of water at a time.
Instead of seeing the country’s seas simply as scenic destinations, she sees them as opportunities to test endurance.
Her previous Bohol-to-Cebu crossing and latest Leyte-to-Bohol journey also highlight the scale of the country’s geography. The islands that Filipinos often travel between by plane, ferry or boat can become entirely different experiences when viewed from the perspective of an open-water swimmer.
For Ruiz, every crossing becomes both a physical challenge and an exploration of the country.
She has previously said that she wants to increase her distance each year while exploring different provinces.
The hardest part may be in the mind
After spending more than 11 hours in the ocean, Ruiz’s next challenge may sound almost unbelievable.
She wants to go longer.
When asked if she would attempt another long-distance swim next year, her answer was immediate: “Definitely, and longer.”
She already has a tentative location in mind but is keeping it secret for now.
Interestingly, Ruiz believes that around three months of preparation could be enough for an established swimmer to prepare for a similar challenge. But she emphasized that the bigger requirement is mental rather than physical.
“It’s more on a mindset rather than physical,” she said, pointing to resilience, patience and the ability to remember that difficult moments are temporary.
That may be the biggest lesson from her latest crossing.
More than 24 kilometers
Alizon Ruiz’s Leyte-to-Bohol swim is an impressive athletic accomplishment, but the distance itself may not be the most remarkable part of the story.
It is the patience required to keep moving when progress feels slow. It is the discipline to manage energy for hours. It is the ability to respond when something unexpected happens, whether that means rough waves, a jellyfish sting or a body that is beginning to reach its limits.
And perhaps most importantly, it is the decision to keep going.
The formal recognition of Ruiz’s latest swim will still depend on the ratification process and the documentation submitted to the Marathon Swimming Federation. But whether or not a record is eventually stamped onto paper, the feat has already added another remarkable chapter to the story of a Filipina athlete who continues to push the boundaries of open-water swimming.
For Alizon Ruiz, the journey is measured in kilometers. But for everyone watching from the shore, it is a reminder that sometimes the biggest distances are conquered one stroke, one breath and one decision to keep moving at a time.
