BCO Podcast: World-Record Swim 1 Year After Treatment

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World-Record Swim 1 Year After Treatment

December 6, 2019

In September 2019, marathon swimmer Sarah Thomas did something that had never been done before: she swam the English Channel four times, non-stop. And she did this a year after completing treatment for stage II breast cancer.

Sarah started swimming lessons at age one and was on a year-round swim team by age 10. She swam on her high school team and in College at the University of Connecticut where she studied political science and journalism. She took a break from swimming while earning a master's degree at the University of Denver, but joined a masters' swim team after graduating.

In August 2017, Sarah swam 104.6 miles in Lake Champlain, the first current-neutral open water swim of more than 100 miles and the world record for the longest unassisted open water swim.

In November 2017, while planning her English Channel swim, she was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 35.

Listen to the podcast to hear Sarah talk about:

• how she found the breast lump and what she did after that
• how she talked to her doctors about treatments while she was planning her English Channel swim
• what she thought about and how she ate during the 54-hour swim
• how breast cancer has changed her

Running time: 22:12

Listen now or read the transcript.

Photo credit: James Musslewhite

NewtoPink2018

Hello Sarah,

I listened to your podcast while at the gym! I found myself incredibly inspired by your story. I think if you can swim the way you do certainly a person can get moving, weight lifting, push ups, etc after reconstruction. I am a motorcyclist and ride many miles every year. As I venture back in to training for 2020 I have found it challenging to find the right work out for someone with mastectomy and reconstructions. Do you have a resource that you can share? It seems every time I try to "get back to a normal work out" I pay a price of discomfort, swelling, numbness and tingling down the arm... Thoughts?

Thank you for the inspiration! Best wishes. C