Of all the ways to honor America’s veterans, Pete Knob might have found the most physically exhausting one. But it might also be one of the most rewarding.
Knob and his son Patrick recently completed the New York City SEAL Swim, a multi-sport open water swimming event held in New York City to raise funds and honor veterans, first responders, those who lost their lives in the 9/11 terrorist attacks and their families.
Knob, 41, lives in New Jersey with his wife and five children and works as an attorney in the pharmaceutical industry. He has strong ties to Oneonta: his father worked as a surgeon at Fox Hospital and though his family moved away shortly after he was born, Knob frequently returns to the area.
The SEAL Swim came to Knob’s attention through his friendship with former Navy SEAL Bill Brown, the organizer of the event. After attending the 2023 edition as spectators, Knob and his son Patrick, 17, knew they had to try it for themselves.
“I went and I was blown away by this event,” Knob said. “It’s not just a swim; it’s 300 people with flags and paratroopers and there’s a massive FDNY fire boat sending out red, white and blue water. There’s all these barges and the whole Hudson [River] is shut down. You’ve got this massive armada of ships… I couldn’t believe that my friend put this together.”
The event is not for the faint of heart. Contestants start out at the Empty Sky Memorial in New Jersey and run one mile to enter the Hudson River by jumping off of a barge.
Upon entering, they swim one mile to the Statue of Liberty where they proceed to do 22 pull-ups and 100 pushups. They then re-enter the water and swim half a mile to Ellis Island where they do another set of 22 pull-ups and 100 pushups.
After that, it’s back in the water for a 2-mile swim to Battery Park where they run the half-mile to the World Trade Center Memorial to do one final set of pull-ups and pushups.
“When you’re sitting in the Hudson River sitting in a boat and you see 300 guys jump off a barge and swim across, you see that and you think, ‘I’ve gotta do this. This is about as cool as it gets,’” Knob said.
Knob is no stranger to athletic competition, with several half-marathons and triathlons under his belt. But he knew that this event would require plenty of training.
For that, he and Patrick came back to Oneonta. They did numerous open-water swims in Goodyer Lake, timing their training for windy days so they would be prepared for the rough conditions of the Hudson River. After passing a physical fitness qualifying event in July, the father-son duo was ready for the big swim on Saturday, Aug. 10.
Pete and Patrick were joined by about 300 other participants on a beautiful day on the Hudson. While the water was indeed choppy in the final stretch, the training the Knobs did served them well as both were able to complete the arduous journey.
The most memorable moment for Pete was hugging his son when he came out of the water, an affirmation of the journey the two had completed together, one done in service of something bigger than themselves.
Knob was quick to credit Brown with organizing the event as well as the sacrifices he and his comrades made during their time in the military.
“Guys in that community have been through a lot,” Knob said. “That’s why I think Bill deserves a lot of praise for this.”
All told, the event raised more than $600,000 for the Navy SEAL Foundation which will go towards supporting veterans and their families.
Knob is already on board to do next year’s swim and is hoping to bring more folks with him.
“I am very proud of being from Oneonta and love the people and natural beauty there,” he said.
“Even before the event took place, I was already recruiting some folks to join me for next year’s swim because it’s a wonderful event that brings together good men and women to share an adventure for a great cause. I hope some will join me.”