MIDTOWN — This ain't your average dip in the pool.
Famed ultra-endurance athlete Diana Nyad — who became the first person to swim 110 miles from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage last month — planned to swim for 48 hours straight in Herald Square Tuesday and Wednesday to raise money for the AmeriCares Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund.
From morning through night, twice over, Nyad will stroke back and forth in a 40-yard, two-lane pool installed on Broadway at 34th Street, moving a steady 1.5 mph and pausing only for brief "feedings."
She was expected to be joined in her swim Tuesday by Olympic gold medalist Ryan Lochte, "True Blood" star Joe Manganiello and others. But Nyad otherwise took on the journey alone, to the cheers of passersby on the street and others in the stands.
"It's great, and it was such a great honor to be swimming next to her," said Ed Brinkman, 35, an assistant brand manager for Procter & Gamble — and former Georgia Tech swimmer — who swam a few laps with Nyad.
To follow her progress online, visit the Swim for Relief website or search for the hashtag #swimforrelief on Twitter.