Marathon swimmers come from all walks of life. Some start as tots, others find their passion midlife. Whether you’re a seasoned marathon swimmer, aspiring, or just intrigued, something can be learned from the stories of these remarkable endurance athletes.
My guest today is fellow Oregonian Sue Phillips. While Sue assured me that her story was not that interesting, she kept coming up with stories… I fondly remember playing leap frog with her in Lake Massawippi last year, but that was just the beginning… she’s lost her kayaker around Lido Key, ridden the waves in the Chesapeake, and swam the […]
Today I spoke with the first woman to swim around the island of Bermuda, Lori King. Upon rediscovering her love of swimming later is life, Lori tried to politely decline an invitation to swim in the open water, strongly preferring the pool. Needless to say, she eventually found her rhythm and got over her fears. There’s quite a bit of […]
My guest today started her competitive swimming career in 1967, and it continues to this day. In 2016, on the 41st anniversary of her first English Channel crossing, she completed an English Channel 2 way. Sal Minty-Gravett’s Swimming CV is 5 pages long. We barely scratched the surface today, but be sure to stick around to the end for the […]
In today’s episode I spoke with Triple Crown and California Triple Crown swimmer Robin Rose. A mom of three, Robin reminds us how we don’t know what we’re capable of until we get out there and do it. In her own words: Robin rose is a marathon swimmer . She always been aware of words and the power they carry […]
In this episode I spoke with Diane McManus just before her 70th birthday. While she conquered her fears of deep water and learned to swim as a child, she didn’t spend much time in the pool until a running injury forced her to take a break from land sports in her 50’s. Then, out of curiosity, she signed up for […]
It’s “the loneliest place in extreme sport, ” says Cliff Golding, “that moment when you’re standing in nothing but a swimsuit, cap, and goggles on the beach with your arm up waiting and waiting and waiting for the klaxon to go off. You’re full of nerves and everything you’ve done up to that point as led to that moment.” It […]
In this episode I talk to Katie Blair shortly after returning home to Indiana from her 29 hour and 10 minutes in the St Lucia channel, swimming from St Lucia, to Martinique, and back… almost! Her longest stint in the water, she faced jellyfish stings and salt tongue, and initially felt okay with her accomplishment, but two weeks later, she’s […]
A fellow marathon swimming mom, Tracy Knight discovered that there might be something to this distance stuff shortly before having kids. Her clue was that she completed more distance in an hour than fellow swimmers who would smoke her in practice! Thank you US Masters ePostals! After completing her first 5K she didn’t hesitate to make the jump to the […]
When I ask my Marathon Swim Story guests for a short bio, sometimes people send me a link to their Long Swims database entry. You won’t find one for today’s guest, but Marlys has an unparalleled drive to find her next big swim, and her rampant swim adventuring is something that I aspire to. Marlys and I share a passion […]
John Kenny says, “I started doing all of this stuff when I was a kid”. Rather than getting over fears of open water and finding out that he can swim further, I love how he describes his parents having to get over the fact that he was going to swim no matter what. Growing up near Atlantic City, John shares […]