Aaron was interviewed last week for NBC's Todayshow.com about RFTO and the Fort Myers event. Check out the interview below!

Q: When did your relationship with the water really begin?

A: I have always had a very natural connection to the water, and that connection stems from the ocean itself. I think a more pertinent question would be “Did I ever not have a relationship with the water?”

Q: Can you give a quick rundown of the ocean/water preservation programs and organizations you’ve been involved with?

A: I began working with Oceana, which is the largest international organization that is dedicated to solving the oceans’ problems, about three years ago. As opposed to spreading themselves thin over many environmental issues, Oceana's decision to solely work on the world's oceans enables them to work toward achieving measurable change by conducting specific, fact-based campaigns with fixed deadlines and articulated goals.

The inaugural Aaron Peirsol’s Race for the Oceans was a splashing success this weekend. Hundreds of swimmers, from age 9 to 59, gathered in Ft. Myers, Florida for their chance to race against the seven-time Olympic medalist and support ocean conservation.

Read on for details and more photos from the event!

Aaron has been nominated for USA Swimming's Athlete Humanitarian Award, which is presented to "a swimmer that has competed at a National Championships or higher lever, who has given back to his or her country, community, charity or cause."

The other nominees this year include Megan Jendrick, Cullen Jones, and Lenny Krayzelburg.

The award will be presented Monday, November 17 at the New York Hilton at the Fifth-annual USA Swimming Foundation Golden Goggle Awards, which will be hosted by NBC sportscaster Bob Costas. Members of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Swim Team will be there, including Michael Phelps, Natalie Coughlin, Jason Lezak, Rebecca Soni, and Dara Torres.

As United States Masters Swimming's site reminds us, it's a little more than a week until Aaron's Race for the Oceans Open Water Swim weekend, November 8 and 9 in Fort Meyers, Florida.

There will be events for all ages and levels, and Rowdy Gaines, gold medalist and swimming commentator, will make a special appearance.

Register for this exciting event if you haven't already.

Summer might be over, but don't put away your goggles and swimcaps yet -- you're gonna need them to train for Aaron's "Race for the Oceans," an Open Water swim in Fort Myers, Florida.

On Saturday, November 8th, there will be a 500-yard junior swim for those 12 years old and younger, and on Sunday November 9th, there will be a 1K and 5K swim for Masters swimmers.

Registration is now open!

Today Bank of America announced a $15,000 contribution to Race for the Oceans following Aaron's stellar performances in Beijing.

“Aaron’s accomplishments in the pool are equaled only by his dedication and commitment to protecting the world’s oceans,” said Ray Bednar, Global Sponsorship Marketing executive, Bank of America. “We are delighted to celebrate Aaron’s tremendous success at the Beijing Olympic Games, and honor his achievements through our support of his Race for the Oceans advocacy.”

Aaron's teammate Ryan Lochte won his first individual gold medal in the 200-meter backstroke final in a world record of 1 minute, 53.94 seconds.

While many assumed Aaron would become the first man in 36 years to sweep the Olympic backstroke events at consecutive Games, the "greatest backstroker of all time" took second place in stride.

As he said to the Orange County Register, “It really doesn’t take anything away from my career, a race is a race. You can get beat, no one owns anything.”

The event brings Aaron's career medal count to 4 golds and two silvers -- not too shabby!

We watched last night as our favorite backstroker-slash-ocean lover, Aaron Peirsol, won his fourth Olympic gold medal and set a world record of 52.54 seconds in the 100-meter backstroke, which made him the first man since Roland Matthes of East Germany in 1968 and 1972 to win back-to-back 100 backstroke titles at the Games, according to the New York Times' report.

It was an exciting race. The first 50 meters saw Aaron lagging behind in lane two, but after his flip and a fierce kick off the wall, he surged ahead. The commentators roared.

As the Washington Post's Olympics blog reported yesterday, Aaron placed third in the preliminary heats of the 100-meter backstroke behind Matt Grevers and Russian Arkady Vyatchanin, who was one-hundredth of a second faster.

He's favored in the 200-meter backstroke, and he'll likely swim the backstroke leg of the 4x100 medley relay.

Go Aaron, go!