I am so excited to share this journey with anyone who is interested.

The backstory of this swim is this:

I started swimming on my town team when I was 10 - not a remarkable beginning, but it certainly created a social circle, which enveloped me til college.  Once at Bates, I sustained a serious head injury which left me without many of the coping mechanisms I had prior.  Swimming was not one of the things I thought I should keep when I inventoried my "possessions" at that time, and without a strong coach or bonds with teammates (having just met them) I thought my competitive days in the pool were over.  I joined other sports and kept working near water because that is what I knew how to do.     

I have been around lakes all my life, and the irony here is that I never look down when I swim- what if something looks back?!  Anyway, I did my first local 10 mile swim when I was 17, mainly because it seemed like a good idea.  I think it took us at least nine hours to complete, but it was fun - no training was involved and I think our teenage canoe escorts were doing slalom in the buoys, so it was a good day on the water.   Post head injury I did that swim again and a couple more shorter ones, even though I was not in swimming shape, but it was not til I moved to MA in my early 20s that I picked up the sport again for real.  I have swum the Boston Light Swim (8+ miles) more than 5 times, swum across Lake Champlain a couple of times, across the Potomac (7.5 miles), a long training swim in Lake George (10 hours), and multiple other lengthy endeavors, but the Channel is a new challenge on many levels. 

I am very grateful for everything and everyone that this sport has brought into my life, so I am excited to celebrate with a swim across the English Channel. I am hoping for your support as I undertake this journey.  Part of the funds raised will go toward the basic expenses involved in this endeavor (which are sizeable) and part will go to the Brain Injury Assoc of Mass in honor of the teenager I was prior to my own trio of head injuries.  For $100 donation you will be emailed or texted during a particular mile (you choose which one).

Your support has been amazing and a bit overwhelming (in a good way!) so I will add miles as more are needed- there is no way I will only swim 21 miles anyway!

Any assistance can be sent to PO Box 5117, Wayland MA 01778.  Please indicate which mile you would like to "have" and how I can reach you- Many thanks!

Below is a representation of different swims across the Channel.  Due to tides in England and France it is very hard to swim a straight line, though the faster swimmers will be closest to that- based on my speed, or lack thereof, my swim will most resemble the LONGEST one, but it really is up to Mother Nature (or the Channel Gods, as they are known):