NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A young woman has accomplished an amazing feat in the waters around New York City.

Angel More competed in a 28-mile swim around Manhattan Island Saturday; doing it all for charity.

As ordinary people spent Saturday morning lazing around Battery Park, across the pier in the Hudson River, the 16-year-old embarked on a grueling journey.

“I’ve been swimming my entire life and I just wanted to challenge myself so I decided to do this,” More said.

More swam in an epic marathon called 20 Bridges.

As its name suggests, participants need to swim beneath 20 bridges around Manhattan Island, starting with the Brooklyn Bridge.

It may sound scary, but More showed no signs of fear, chatting with CBS2 right before the start of the swim.

“I swim a lot in the San Francisco Bay. The water is warmer here than it is in California so that’s really nice.”

The world champion teen athlete has already set several records, including being the youngest girl to climb Mount Kilimanjaro when she was just 10 years-old.

Her family told CBS2’s Christina Fan she’s motivated by the thought of inspiring others. It’s why she swims for the non-profit Children International.

The teen has already raised more than $58,000 to help kids in poverty.

“She came back saying ‘mom, they aren’t much different from what I am. They were just born in a different place.’ That’s what made her say we are equal, that’s why I want to support them,” her mother, Archana More said.

The 28.5 mile swim was expected to take Angel eight to 10 hours – and right on time – she completed it in nine hours. The teen received a medal, flowers, and a whole lot of respect for her achievement.

Last year, Angel successfully swam across the Catalina Channel. Her next goal will be the English Channel – the only challenge left before she completes open water swimming’s triple crown.