There are challenges for everyone in the annual Red Cross Swim-A-Cross. Besides the daunting one mile of bay to cross, with the wind and tide to fight, there are also personal obstacles to hurdle. The big challenge for the Red Cross is to raise money - over the past 10 years they have raised $100,000.

Among the many swimmers was Adam Derais, a student at Roslyn High School. For Adam, it was his sixth Swim-A-Cross. He is a member of the Long Island Express team and practices at Hofstra University.

For Renata Maimone, 82, and a regular participant in the Swim-A-Cross, her new challenge was swimming with a pacemaker. For Andrea Coscia of Glen Cove, it was swimming with two new hips. And, though she has been diagnosed with MS and now Lupus, she was happy to say, "I swim every year!"

Bob Keller began swimming in the event after his health had been challenged with a stroke. He was the last swimmer to come onto the beach. It was his third Swim-A-Cross since he had a stroke.

If you are thinking of joining in the swim next year, it will be hard to come up with a valid excuse not to.

This year the surf itself was a challenge, said Joan Imhof who with Judge Ute Lally created the swim. On the positive side, she said, "It's a slack tide." That's how they choose the date for the swim, but they couldn't predict the wind that made the water choppy.

When they finished the swim, Garden City team coach Sarah Gans said the waves were tough and that they took in a lot of salt water which dried their mouths out.

Coming out of the water Renata said, "It was rough today. I must be getting old!"

John Specce, former Oyster Bay High School Board of Education member took the challenge. "Now that I'm off the school board I have plenty of leisure time. I always wanted to swim but I didn't have the time to practice."

Once a week he did the 136 laps in his 40 foot pool to make a mile. The rest of the week he did 70 laps at a time. "You start off slow and build up. The pool is different than the bay. This is a little bit choppy today," he said before the swim. He was a lifeguard for three years at Cedar Beach in Brookhaven while going to college.

When he came in he too mentioned the current. It pushed him along, but it was hard to keep on course. The balloons were too far apart to keep an easy watch on where he was going, he said.

Jeff Maimone has done the race nine of its 10 years. "It's exciting. It really is. You think you get used to it," he said.

Jeff and his mom Renata Maimone practice at Stehli Beach in Bayville. She has a new pacemaker. "When it was first installed she was apprehensive to do a full stroke. A while ago I told her 'you lost your stroke.' A month later she had it back, Jeff said.

"Today, looking at the flags you can see the wind is at our back. It will help bring us into the beach this year," he said. "I haven't noticed as many jelly fish this year as last. The 100 degree heat in June and July may have affected them. They are usually all over the place where we train at Stehli Beach. If it's good or bad for the ecology, I don't know. For swimmers, it's excellent.

"I don't know where the jelly fish is in the food chain," he said. When he hit the beach he reported "No jelly fish and no sea weed. I liked it windy and choppy. Because of the wind there was no motor exhaust from the boats. The clouds kept it cool. It was a great swim," said the Elmont resident.

"This is a great event if people want to challenge themselves. On a regular beach you don't get a chance to swim from one point to another," said Jeff Maimone.

In the bus going over to the dock, Judge Ute Lally said to the swimmers, "You are doing a wonderful thing. It's a privilege having you."

She instructed them: "As you get off the bus show your bracelets. Swim with the red balloons on your right.

If you are tired, the lifeguards are there for your safety. Raise your arm if you need help. Don't be a hero. They are there to help you.

"When you come out at Centre Island Beach turn in your bracelet or we'll be looking for you all night long," said Judge Lally.

When they got down to the dock, she told the racers to go first. In spite of the fact that it is not timed - there are swimmers who use the mile as a race venue.

A clutch of young people led the group. Amongst them were the first two to reach Centre Island Beach: Egor Lazebnik, 15, formerly of East Norwich and now of Cold Spring Harbor. Second in was Jennifer Nucci of Plainview.

Before Egor gave in his bracelet he went back into the surf to shake hands with Jennifer. "She did a great race. She deserves to win. She didn't know where the finish was," he said.