John Gale’s Marathon Swim Story

In this episode of Marathon Swim Stories, John Gale talks about being a late onset swimmer, enjoying cold water, swimming in Ireland, and so much more!

In his own words: I describe myself as an adult-onset swimmer as I started swimming in my late 40s after a knee injury due to a fall sidelined my distance running career. After my doctor advised me to take up another sport or risk an early knee replacement, I slowly found my way to swimming. Over time, I joined a local masters group and discovered open water and cold water swimming. As I moved to longer events, I became interested in marathon swimming. I am fairly early in my marathon swimming journey and have done Boston Light, Swim the Suck, and the 10 mile event during the Kingdom Swim. I began training for the English Channel. My scheduled swim last September never took place due to the movement of Hurricane Umberto through the British Isles. Like many, my swim plans are in flux due to the world-wide impact of COVID-19. One of the greatest things about marathon swimming is the community that it provides. In terms of my non-swimming life, my wife and I live in Portland, Maine and we have a 31 year old son. I am a Senior Research Associate at the Maine Rural Health Research Center at the University of Southern Maine. I focus on a range of policy issues related to rural health care including rural hospitals and clinics, emergency medical services, as well as mental health and substance use treatment services.