Today I travelled through time. I spoke with Dean Summers in what will be my tomorrow… his today. In hot pursuit of the Oceans Seven, the Australian has ticked off 6 of the 7 channels. The 7th, the Tsugaru Strait continues to allude him. At home in and one the water, Dean is perfectly suited for the challenge. He even […]
What do you think? Does learning to swim give you confidence that seeps into other areas of your life? What about learning to push your limits in the water? How does that translate to your day to day life? This is what I’m contemplating these days. Share your thoughts, email me: shannon@intrepidwater.com Today I had the pleasure of catching up […]
Resilient. It wasn’t something that Melanie Tyrrell considered herself. Despite falling off a horse, requiring multiple surgeries to regain mobility! It took Melanie completing the English Channel for her to realize it herself. Hello and welcome to Marathon Swim Stories where we explore the human side of the super human feats of endurance swimmers and those who support them. I’m […]
Today I had the distinct pleasure of hearing Bob Fernald’s marathon swim story. While the late onset swimmer is a theme in marathon swimming, I don’t consider his a typical story. While he dabbled in triathlon, like other runners turned triathlete, he hated the swim. Ultimately, Bob found comfort and efficiency in the water by way of Pilates. My clients […]
Martyn Webster inadvertently moved to the open water swimming mecca of Rapperswil, Switzerland a handful of years ago and found himself diving in after a 25 year swimming hiatus. Following a successful 26km Lake Zurich Marathon Swim a friend suggested he go for The Channel, and so he did. Just like that, he was addicted. Martyn is one who enjoys […]
I had the pleasure of catching up with Guy Davis today while he’s on vacation in Florida. The Irish born, British citizen, who spent time growing up in Africa, and currently resides in the states, finds variety his fuel. While Guy trained with Dover Solo author, Marcia Cleveland, in the 90’s, it wasn’t until 2015 that he started pushing distance […]
As marathon swimmers we know what it’s like to be misunderstood. But can you imagine being the mom of a young marathon swimmer? I was struck by the amount of judgement that Jillian and James have faced in their 6 years of pursuing James’ dreams. While signing your child up for violin lessons or gymnastics at a very young age […]
Today I had the pleasure of chatting with Finger Lakes phenom, Bridgette Hobart. The stories just kept coming. So much goodness! Once we stabilized Bridgette’s connection, I tried to pry into what keeps Bridgette going. From what I can tell, she just can’t get enough. Striving for work life balance, marathon swimming seems to give her life just the spice […]
Today I recorded the first ever in person edition of Marathon Swim Stories with Jeff Rake. I’m so grateful that Jeff reached out to me prior to my trip to San Diego to swim around Coronado Island. As it goes with people in the marathon swimming community, Jeff welcomed me with open arms even though we had never met in […]
An endurance enthusiast, Mary Stella came to marathon swimming by way of endurance triathlon. No stranger to suffering for 14 or 16 hours at a stretch, Mary isn’t sure she’s proud of her swimming accomplishments… perhaps she just hasn’t swam long enough yet! Coming to prefer the sensory deprivation of the water environment, it’s the suffering she’s really after. Truly… […]