Phoenix swimmers racing to raise money for PPE donations

PHOENIX - Phoenix swimmers have been racing on Saturday to raise tens of thousands of dollars for personal protective equipment - and they won’t be stopping until well after the sun rises on Sunday.

Swimmers at the Neptune Swimming Foundation are diving headfirst into an exhausting race. They are swimming a mile underwater - every hour for 24 hours.

That's 71 laps in an hour - 25 miles in a day.

Dubbed the "Going the Extra Mile Challenge", the race lives up to its name.

"The mental challenge is going to be the hardest part for me I think," said Tal Spector from the Neptune Swimming Foundation.

They're swimming to raise money for PPE, or personal protective equipment, for the residents and staff of nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Arizona. These centers have been hit hard than everywhere else by COVID-19.

So far, the foundation has raised more than $30,000.

"This sort of showed up a golden opportunity to do something to help and do something I really love, as well as a challenge to motivate me to swim better," said Spector.

Their coach, Joe Zemaitis, was so proud of the work they've done, he's swimming alongside them too.

"It’s a great group of kids," said Zemaitis. "We’re excited about this event. It’s something that will get us going all day and all night."

Altogether - stroke by stroke - they're pulling each other closer to their goal of helping their community.

Devin Esser, another swimmer, explained their desire to help.

"You want to do something to help your community, and when you find something like this - you can’t pass it up," Esser said.