Colleen Blair has been tackling some of the world's toughest open water swims for the past two decades. She was the youngest swimmer to cross the English Channel during the 1998 season, and later completed open water swimming's Triple Crown by completing the Catalina Channel and Swim Around Manhattan events. 

Earlier this year, she became the first person ever to swim across the Minch, a twenty-five mile journey across the treacherous waters between the Outer Hebrides and the Scottish mainland. Despite water temps as low as 48F, swarms of jellyfish, and seas so rough that her kayaker got sick, Colleen managed to make the crossing after 19 grueling hours. 

Some topics we covered included:

Training: how much in open water, how much in the pool

Nutrition during swims

The involvement of her crew (and her family) in her swims

How she deals with adverse conditions and stays focused

Her experiences at SCAR Swim in AZ (4 lake stage swim)

Some of her favorite places to swim

Some of the worst water she's had to swim in

Her upcoming plans