Sandra Frimerman-Bergquist’s Marathon Swim Story

I could barely contain my excitement when talking to today’s guest, a professional marathon swimmer, Sandra Frimerman-Bergquist. As we discuss in the episode, Sandra has been knocking her swimming dreams out of the park the last few years, participating in the FINA Marathon and Ultramarathon Swim Series, setting the record for the St Lucia channel, swimming the Traversee du Lac St Jean, and so much more!

In her own words: I was born in Walnut Creek, CA. I grew up in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. I started swimming after Janet Evans Olympic performance in Seoul against the East Germans. After trying a local 5 mile lake swim I knew that I was much better suited for open water rather than the constraints of the pool. I went to and swam at Eden prairie high school. I attended the University of Northern Iowa and St. Cloud State University. Studying environmental studies and water treatment. I decided to make it my goal to become a professional athlete after attending an open water safety conference in 2011 and learning about the FINA world marathon and ultramarathon series. Specifically the famed Traversee Internationale du Lac St. Jean 32KM Crossing. Along the way, I have completed over 35 swims of 10km or longer since 2012. My first swim of 10km or more came at the 27mile edition of END-WET in 2012, To completing the 36mile version of END-WET 4 consecutive times. I accomplished my dream of becoming a “professional” Swimmer in 2018 with 2 FINA Marathon Series 10km races in Canada. I reached my other goal of the completing the Traversee du lac St. Jean swim in 2019, along with another famed Ultramarathon, the 54th edition of The Maratono Del Golfo Capri Napoli, a 36KM swim from the Island of Capri to Naples, Italy.

Watch Sandra swim the St Lucia channel: https://vimeo.com/422889422