The Grand Finale! The Great Turtle Race Update: Day 12

And it’s all come down to this, the final day of the Great Turtle Race. I’m the “Voice of Swimming,” Rowdy Gaines, reporting live. The last day is certainly not the least in terms of excitement! Wawa Bear made it just under the wire. In an amazing finish that was reminiscent of her coach, Jason Lezak, in his world-record comeback victory in the 2008 Olympic relay, Wawa Bear zoomed across the finish line just before the end of the Race!

Illustration by Chris Rooney

Now that the turtles have completed the two-week Race, we can reveal just how far each turtle traveled! These turtles have put in incredible effort on their journeys, and all have covered thousands of kilometers. Olympic medal-winning backstroker Aaron Peirsol was the official spokesperson and ‘coach’ for this event. And the winner of the challenge is… Estéban! He swam an astounding 7,856 kilometers (4,881 miles) during the course of the Race. Visit the interactive Race Map to find out more about the turtles’ challenge stats.

What a Race this has been. The competitors in this Race are truly inspirational. They face many obstacles, cross entire oceans, and see many changes to their environments, but they just keep on going.

On behalf of all the sponsors, partners, coaches, Race fans, and the turtles themselves, thanks for your support and participation in the Great Turtle Race. Together, we can all help leatherbacks on their journey back to healthy populations in healthy oceans. Taking the No More Plastic! Pledge is a great way to start!