The world changed today.
In a small way, you may think, but today the limits of humanity have been redefined.
Because today, an American named Sarah Thomas successfully completed a four-way crossing of the English Channel. Swimming.
Swimming the English Channel has long been recognized as a brilliant feat of endurance. Matthew Webb was the first to do it, England to France, in 1875. It took him 21 hours, 45 minutes. Since then, as of 2018, 1,831people have done it 2,369 times.
Gertrude Ederle was the first woman to do it, in 1926.
Antonio Abertondo was the first to swim the English Channel twice, non-stop, in 1961.
Jon Erikson was the first to swim the English Channel three times, England-to-France-to-England-to-France, in 1981. It took him 38 hours and 27 minutes. Since then, it's been done three more times, by Phillip Rush in 1987 (28:21), Alison Streeter in 1990 (34:40), and Chloe McCardel in 2015 (36:12).
But nobody's ever done it four times. Until today.
Today, 37-year-old Sarah Thomas finished a four-way crossing in 54 hours, 13 minutes. Total distance, 215.5 km (134 miles!). England-to-France-to-England-to-France-to-England. Swimming without a stop, for over two days. Awesome! Sarah Thomas defines the new limit of human endurance!
Another amazing thing about Sarah is that she’s a breast cancer survivor. Here’s her dedication.
“This swim is dedicated to all the Survivors out there ... This is for those of us who have prayed for our lives, who have wondered with despair about what comes next, and have battled through pain and fear to overcome. This is for those of you just starting your cancer journey and those of you who are thriving with cancer kicked firmly into the past, and for everyone in between. This is for our family and friends who held us in their arms and provided the strength and support we needed in the hardest times. This is for those who struggled alongside us, feeling our pain as if it was their own. I’m holding you all in my heart and swimming for our health and futures. We are stronger together, each and every one of us.” -- Sarah Thomas
All hail! There's a new Queen in town!
References
Most from here. One from here. One from here.