In 1875, Matthew Webb swam the English Channel in 21 hours, 45 minutes.
In 1961, Antonio Abertondo swam both ways, non-stop, in 43 hours and 10 minutes.
In 1981, Jon Erikson tried for three, and succeeded, after 38 hours and 27 minutes.
In 2019, Sarah Thomas swam from England to France to England to France to England. Care to guess? 54 hours and 10 minutes.
Here is a picture of her swimming path, from her blog. It’s well worth the click.
After the swim, I sorta thought/hoped my life might change in big ways, but in reality nothing has really changed at all. Same job, same dogs, same husband, same house, same friends, same routine. Some of those I’m glad are the same (hey Ryan!), but…
Sarah Thomas, via her blog.
Chloë McCardel can’t get enough. She’s swam the Channel 44 times. So far.
And here’s a fun BBC report from 1949, when Phillip Mickman became the youngest swimmer to best the Channel. (Thomas Gregory now holds it, having swam it a few days before his 12th birthday.)