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69-year-old 'King Neptune' swam 529 miles at Tampa YMCA last year

Scott Nelson swims in the morning and at night as "therapy"
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Posted at 5:42 AM, Mar 25, 2024
and last updated 2024-03-25 06:58:47-04

TAMPA, Fla. — If you're looking for Scott Nelson, there's a good chance he's in the pool at the Bob Sierra Family YMCA in Tampa.

"It's my chill time, my therapy," said the 69-year-old salesman from Carrollwood.

Nelson is a humble man, a family man who's raised champion swimmers — and yet "chill" is a curious choice of words.

After all, last year, this "King Neptune" swam 529 miles at the Y — that's more than 38,000 laps.

"If I get in that pool and I'm all wound up? When I get out, the plane's flying steady," said Nelson, who's been coming to this Y for almost 40 years.

A remarkable detail to this achievement is that Nelson, a salesman at Milner, actually boosted his yearly total by over 100 miles last year. He'd never even come close to 529.

Which begs the question: Is that a Bob Sierra Y record?

Yaimy Marshall, the Y's executive director, isn't quite sure. "But that is not the norm! That's for sure!" she said.

Nelson turns 70 this month. He's gunning for 600 miles this year.

"I'm sure gonna shoot for it!" he said.