By Gold Medal Mel Stewart on SwimSwam
Alex Kostich now owns two of the three course records officially recognized as the Lake Tahoe Open Water Swimming Association’s Triple Crown. The third and final route is the length of Lake Tahoe and by far the most challenging swim at 21.3 miles (34.3 kilometers).
Speaking to SwimSwam by phone, Kostich was noncommittal about his future plans to tackle the grueling course.
“It’s in the back of my head,” he said. “I’m thinking about it.”
On Aug. 3, 2026, Kostich completed the 10.6-mile Vikingsholm course in 3:48:51, pending ratification. It is the fastest known performance, surpassing Jorge Angel’s record of 4:20:32, set on Aug. 3, 2020.
Kostich’s swim was observed by Kathryn Filley for the Lake Tahoe Open Water Swimming Association and piloted by Sylvia Lacock, master captain for Pacific Open Water Swim Co./SwimTahoe.com. Suzanne Heim Bowen and Michael “Mikey” Flaherty served as crew members for the record-breaking swim.
Last year, SwimSwam reported on Kostich’s Lake Tahoe True Width course record, a 12-mile crossing that he completed in 4:28:55. The True Width course crosses the widest part of the lake, from Homewood on the west to Glenbrook on the east. Kostich eclipsed Angel’s previous record of 4:43:10 by nearly 15 minutes.
“Last year, after completing Lake Tahoe’s 12-mile True Width crossing, I started thinking about the slightly shorter but more technical swim, the Vikingsholm,” Kostich explained. “It finishes on Lake Tahoe’s western coastline in Emerald Bay, in front of the historic Nordic Vikingsholm castle. It involves more sighting and, at a distance of 10.6 miles, allowed me to think of this as more of a sprint…and an opportunity to be the first person to cross the lake in under four hours.”
To prepare, Kostich ramped up his training, working in long 10-kilometer swims around Naples Island in Long Beach, California, along with his customary 8,000-meter pool workouts.
Kostich often wakes at 4 a.m. to grind out his training. At 56, he is busy. Kostich is a high-powered entertainment executive with an impressive résumé dating to the 1990s. In 2003, he joined Sony Pictures, eventually rising to vice president of creative advertising. His career continued at Participant Media, where he served as senior vice president of creative marketing.
Kostich is currently vice president of creative marketing and strategy at AMC, home to iconic series including “Breaking Bad,” “Mad Men” and “The Walking Dead.”
Swimming, however, has always been Kostich’s first love.
Alex Kostich (photo: Mike Lewis, Ola Vista Photography)
A lifelong competitor, he racked up accolades in the pool, representing Stanford and winning a Pac-10 title in the 1,650-yard freestyle in 14:55.63. He was also a longtime member of the U.S. National Team. Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, he made six national team squads and won three Pan American Games gold medals.
Kostich’s discipline for the sport has never changed. He continues to leverage the same determination and focus in every performance.
“Last year, for the True Width, my pace was about 1:24 per 100 meters at 6,000 feet of altitude,” he said. “After doing the math and a lot of the hard calculations, I realized that if I held the same pace and the conditions were ideal, I would finish the Vikingsholm crossing in 3:59.30. It was going to be very close to getting under four hours.
“The water this year was warm compared to last year….5 degrees warmer, to be exact, at 69 degrees. When I dove off the boat to begin my swim at 4:45 a.m., I didn’t even flinch from the cold. So, I knew I had that element on my side.”
Kostich deliberately added seven pounds to combat the cold, anticipating chilly water after struggling with the temperature during his 2025 True Width swim. He said he allowed himself a pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream from time to time to add insulation, which probably contributed to his comfort during the Aug. 3 record swim.
“I started out at a 1:20.3 pace and committed to that cadence—71 to 74 strokes per minute—for the duration of the swim,” Kostich said. “Although I hit a rough patch of chop for about two miles in the middle of the lake, I held pretty consistent one-mile splits of 21:35, nearly a minute faster than my pace last year.
“I finished in under four hours and was really surprised to be at 3:48:51, 11 minutes faster than I had hoped. The elements definitely aligned for me. Nature can be cruel and unpredictable, but karma worked in my favor on Monday.”
Kostich is still unpacking his success and resisting the urge to commit to completing the Triple Crown with the 21.3-mile length of Lake Tahoe. I pressed him a little over the phone, and he was quiet for a breath longer as he considered the question.
“I haven’t committed myself to swimming the length of Lake Tahoe,” he finally said. “Nor do I think I’m ready to go on the record and do so just days after finishing the Vikingsholm. But I’m a bit of an OCD completionist, too … so do with that what you will.”
Alex Kostich (photo: Mike Lewis)
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