In August 2017, Sarah Thomas, then 35, of Colorado, swam into the record books with a staggering 104.6-mile unassisted, current-neutral swim in Lake Champlain, and quickly turned her attention to training for an unprecedented four-way English Channel crossing scheduled for September 2019. But in November 2017, she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. Throughout her treatment, which included chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation, she swam as much as she could and kept her eyes on the other side – her goal of becoming the first person to complete that 84-mile quadruple English Channel swim.
In March 2019, just seven months after finishing active treatment for cancer, Thomas completed a challenging Cook Strait crossing in 14:09. On 10 August, she completed a 32-mile, two-way crossing of Colorado’s largest lake, Blue Mesa, in 15:36. Outdoor Swimmer caught up with her two days later as she began final preparations for her upcoming four-way Channel attempt.