In November 2017, Sarah Thomas, a marathon swimmer from Colorado, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. She underwent chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation to fight the disease. One of the ways she coped was by continuing to swim.

And cope she has indeed. From Sunday to Tuesday, over a period of 54 hours, Sarah Thomas, 37, swam the English Channel four times, nonstop, becoming the first person ever on record to do so. Only one year out of treatment for cancer, she swam nearly 134 miles (215km) in the open sea, a swim made more challenging by strong tides and choppy conditions. 

The British endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh tweeted: “Extraordinary, amazing, super-human!!! Just when we think we’ve reached the limit of human endurance, someone shatters the records. Huge congratulations to Sarah Thomas on swimming the English Channel 4x continuously!!!” 

Thomas dedicated her achievement to fellow breast cancer survivors.

Thanks to Alaric Bond for contributing to this post.