Stories from the Water

Send us Fan Mail It's "the loneliest place in extreme sport, " says Cliff Golding, that moment when you're standing on the beach with your arm up 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 took 6 of these lonely moments on the beach before Cliff put his demons to bed and finally...

Send us Fan Mail 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 wondering if should could have mad...

Send us Fan Mail 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 17K Portland Bridge swim… and...

Send us Fan Mail  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 for inspiring swimmers to do just a little bit mor...

Send us Fan Mail 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 his intimate knowledge of the World Cup Around the Island Swim, w...

Send us Fan Mail When I moved to the idyllic hamlet of Talent about 8 years ago, I was quickly adopted by my new swim family and have been lovingly supported and encouraged as I pursue marathon swims… but no one wants to swim as far as I do. That changed about a year ago when I was excitedly greeted at swim practice, "good morning Shannon! Hey, have you met Sarah? She's a marathon swimme...

Send us Fan Mail I met Bill Shipp on a boat in the middle of a lake somewhere north of the Canadian border. I can still remember the sun trying to warm us despite the brisk fall morning air and the surprising calm on the water. The pontoon boat that was nearly swamped, as we were way over capacity. Full of cold and tired swimmers and kayakers who had been brutally beaten by the wind and waves all...

Send us Fan Mail I loved hearing Craig Lewin's Marathon Swim Story. Now a triple crown finisher, Craig was one of the first Americans to travel to England earlier this year, despite the pandemic and the 14 day quarantine period, in order to successfully swim across the English Channel.  As Craig attests, it's valuable to have a coach keep you accountable as you pursue your swimming goals...

Send us Fan Mail In this exemplary episode of Marathon Swim Stories I chatted with Lyn Goldsmith - at 50 she decided to start kayaking. She loved supporting marathon swimmers as the trekked around Manhattan. While a lifelong water lover, she never considered swimming herself until a transformative experience swimming in a lake in Maine in her 60's.  She tells us about her journey over the las...

Send us Fan Mail Bridget Simpson thought the ocean was for playing in and didn't get into open water swimming until later in life, as a mom. She set her sights on a charity swim across the width of Lake Champlain, strategically increasing her distance from 2, 4, and then completed the 8 mile Shore to Shore Lake Champlain swim. She quickly realized that even though she wasn't fast, she co...

Send us Fan Mail Today's guest is an Olympic Trials qualifier and Pan American gold medalist. Catherine Breed has always loved the water. She wasn't sure what to do after her college career swimming ended, but fortuitously, a friend introduced her to the Dolphin club, based at San Francisco's Aquatic Park. At her first open water swimming event hosted by the Dolphin Club event she w...

Send us Fan Mail I first met Sylvia Lacock in 2019 at the marina in Camp Richardson about an hour before I set off for my swim across the length of lake Tahoe. At the time I was impressed by her knowledge of the lake, thoroughness in covering safety, and professionalism as a pilot. Later I came to find out that Sylvia had a marathon swim story all her own - FINALLY I pinned her down to tell us all...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode I spoke with Anthony McCarley. Two months before his 50th birthday, Anthony decided to fulfill his boyhood dream of swimming the English Channel. It took another 4 years, before his dream would come true. He's gone on to pioneer marathon swim routes, both in maturity and in new locations. Anthony insists that the only reason he continues to swim marath...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode I spoke with Qing Li who started her story off by reminding us that not taking a risk is a risk in itself. Wise beyond her years, Qing's investment in self discovery after a successful, but extremely stressful English Channel swim, is sure to pay dividends in whatever she pursues next in swimming and in life. Qing was so open, honest, and shared so many pearls...

Send us Fan Mail Jennifer Dutton started marathon swimming across Candlewood lake in Connecticut as a teenager in the 80's. 10 miles as part of a fundraiser swim - "Everyone did it. It wasn't a big deal. We didn't even train." she says.  Now a mother to two college aged kids, Jennifer recently brought marathon swimming full circle by completing 27 miles in Lake Cochituate...

Send us Fan Mail Lately I've spent some time with my kids looking at a globe, "if you fly over it, can you see the border?" they ask.  No. These are lines drawn by man. Man argues, wars, and discriminates over lines, I tell them.  As today's guest, Melinda Menzer says, "you can't fence in the water", and she loves swimming across those silly lines that are drawn...

Send us Fan Mail Today we chatted with a marathon swimmer who first circumnavigated Manhattan in 1991. In 1994, she crossed the English Channel, documenting her preparation in her book Dover Solo. Upon completing the Catalina Channel in 2005 Marcia Cleveland set the record for the fastest Triple Crown, a record that still stands today. And she's still swimming marathons, having completed the...

Send us Fan Mail Today we spoke with Mark Sheridan from his office in London. Growing up Mark was an all around athlete, but couldn't conceive of swimming more than a mile until relatively recently. Being smack dab in the middle of the financial crisis as an employee of Leman Brothers in 2008, he sought the pool for comfort.  After hiring a coach about a decade ago he was able to rapidly incr...

Send us Fan Mail 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 L...

Send us Fan Mail After a foot injury halted his ultra marathon running career, Darren Miller read Swimming to Antarctica, and was inspired by Lynne Cox. He immediately set his sights on the English Channel. Within 3 years, in August 2013, Darren was the fourth person and the second American to complete the Oceans Seven - completing each of the grueling channel swims in a single attempt. Darren ooz...

Send us Fan Mail Marathon Swim Stories has been a gift to me in so many ways, and how about this one, meeting a kindred spirit halfway around the world in Northern Ireland! Michelle Macy recommended that I find out Maureen McCoy's story, and I'm so glad that we connected. Maureen literally wrote the book on wild swimming in Ireland - https://wildswim.wordpress.com/ ! And her love of swim...

Send us Fan Mail An amazing story teller with many a story to tell, I could talk to Naji all day! But we finally cut ourselves off after just under an hour. A late onset swimmer, Naji was 43 when he learned to swim and wants nothing to do with pool swimming. "Out there" he says, referring to the Pacific ocean as the place that he wants to practice what he preaches as a Total Immersion Sw...

Send us Fan Mail I can almost remember the first time that Jia joined us at Marathon Swim Stories way back in the early days of the pandemic. She's been a constant on our calls, and today I finally got to hear her story! Jia is a an award winner and product of the New York City Parks and Recreation Adult Lap Swim Program and somehow feels hard pressed to call herself an athlete? Labels aside,...

Send us Fan Mail If you've done the Catalina Channel, you've likely heard of, met, or had our guest, Dan Simonelli, as you kayaker! In 2015, Dan received the Marathon Swimmers Federation Streeter Award for Service to Marathon Swimming, and in fact has supported over 200 marathon swims as either coach, crew chief, support crew, or kayaker. A testament to his own marathon swimming pursuits...

Send us Fan Mail We had a wonderful opportunity to chat with 16 year old phenom Vera Rivard, just days after her successful circumnavigation of Manhattan. Vera has already completed the 25 mile In Search of Memphre in 2018 and is crossing her fingers that she can make good on her English Channel window in August despite the pandemic of 2020. Vera describes a very similar experience to my own, as t...