If you never figured Dr.Steven Minaglia for a double-crosser, clearly you were not paying attention.
Where, pray tell, were you when Minaglia was swimming an hour and a half three mornings a week?
Under what rock were you living when he was spending lunch breaks windmilling upward of four kilometers at Ala Moana Beach?
In how many inches of sand was your head buried when he was refining his stroke alongside the good folks of the University of Hawaii Masters Swim Program all those evenings?
And yet, there Minaglia was, logging all of those long kilometers in and out of the pool in preparation to become the first person to swim both ways across the Pailolo Channel, which separates the islands of Maui and Molokai.
"Twenty or 30 years ago, people didn’t think something like this was possible," Minaglia says, "but training methods have improved and our understanding of nutrition has also gotten better. As the sport evolves, people keep pushing the limits. I want to be that person. I want to see what I’m capable of doing."
Minaglia accomplished the historic feat Nov. 30, completing the epic 19-mile swim in just 11 hours and 10 minutes. He was aided, as always, by pals Blair Norris, an expert waterman, and experienced escort boat pilot Paul Luuwai.
For Minaglia, feats like the Pailolo double crossing are an opportunity not just to challenge his capabilities, but also to set an example of determination for his four children.
Minaglia was born and raised in Chicago and holds B.A. and M.D. degrees from the University of Chicago, where he met his Pearl City-bred wife. He completed a residency at the University of Southern California and also earned an M.B.A. from the University of Hawaii.
Minaglia’s work is plentiful: He is an associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Women’s Health at the John A. Burns School of Medicine; a physician in the UH Division of Urogynecology and Pelvic Reconstruction Surgery; director of robotic surgery at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children; and Web editor and section editor of the Journal of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery.
Yet Minaglia’s ocean exploits, which began in 2009, are perhaps an even greater reflection of his approach to life. He thrives on setting ambitious goals and training with great discipline to accomplish them. He greatly respects the accomplishments of pioneering channel swimmers like Carl Kawachi and Peter Attia, and strives to extend their legacies.
"I’m not particularly fast, and there are a lot of swimmers here who can do what I’ve done," he says. "So I set my sights on doing what no one else has done yet. That’s what drives me. What else is possible?"
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