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In this episode of Marathon Swim Stories, I chat with Michelle Macy about being your authentic self, not finishing what you set out to do, losing the joy, granny swimming, and so much more!

From macyswim.com: My parents have always told me that I could swim long before I could walk.  I would terrify the lifeguards by launching myself from the diving board at the age of 2 and swimming underwater to the wall.  It wasn’t too long after this that my parents enrolled me into USA Swimming.  From there the rest you can say is history.  I spent much of my childhood chasing the black line on the bottom of the pool.  This drive and competition lasted through college.

After college, I thought it was necessary to find out what life had to offer away from the 8 pool lanes and the chlorinated water.  I explored the world and moved to many new places.  Upon my move to Oregon, I needed a way to meet new people.  I again returned to the pool and met fellow water enthusiasts.  It was like coming back home.

Not long after returning to the pool, I was in a training class and the question was posed to me.  “If you had all the time in the world, what would you do?”  My post-it note quickly was filled with “I’d swim the English Channel”.  Now I thought this was some joke.  It was as if my subconscious had taken over and written this goal down before I had a chance to argue.

Well, there it was and thus my marathon swimming career began.  From my first tentative strokes in cold open water, I knew I was hooked. I had found my passion.  I did successfully complete the English Channel for the first time in September 2007 and was the fastest American for the Channel Swimming Association in a time of 10 hours and 2 minutes.

I also began to learn that through my swimming I could help the lives of others.  I set a goal to raise $50,000 for Breast Cancer Research through my swimming. (Donations are always welcomed.)  Three years later and I’ve reached the halfway point and just like in my swimming I intend to put one arm in front of the other until my swimming dreams and fundraising goals are fulfilled.


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Music credit:

Epic Inspiration  by Rafael Krux
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5447-epic-inspiration-
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Swimming sounds courtesy of swimmer, Todd Lantry.

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