About

Meet Sarah Thomas

Endurance Athlete. Committed Coach.

Engaging Keynote Speaker.

Sarah Thomas, 41, is an ultra-marathon swimmer who holds the current world record for the longest continuous (unassisted, non-wetsuit) swim done in current-neutral conditions. That record-breaking swim covered 104.6 miles over 67 hours and was completed in Lake Champlain (USA) in August of 2017. Shortly after completing this swim, Sarah was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. She was just 35 years old. While undergoing aggressive cancer treatment, including chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy, Sarah never gave up on her dream of doing a swim that most people thought was impossible. One year after completing her cancer treatments, Sarah did just that- becoming the first person to complete a four-way crossing of the English Channel in 54 hours and 10 minutes. Recently, Sarah became the first person in history to complete a two-way crossing of the North Channel, 21 hours and 46 minutes in freezing water, peppered with giant jellyfish.

Sarah lives near Denver, Colorado, with her husband Ryan, their two beagles and their rescue mutt. When she is not training or coaching open water swimmers, Sarah works as a full-time veterinarian recruiter.

Other notable swims:

• Catalina Channel- 20 miles, 2010
• Manhattan Island Marathon Swim- 28.5 miles, 2011
• English Channel (single crossing)- 21 miles, 2012
• Double Lake Tahoe- 42 miles, 2013*
• Double Lake Memphremagog- 50 miles, 2013*
• Loch Ness- 22 miles, 2015**
• Lake Powell- 80 miles, 2016*
• Lake Champlain- 104.6 miles, 2017*
• English Channel Four Way- 84 miles, 2019*
• Molokai Channel- 24 miles, 2021
• Monterey Bay- 25 miles, 2021
• Double North Channel- 43 miles, 2022*
• Lake Mead- 47.5 miles, 2023*

Click HERE For a full list of swim history.

*First person to complete this swim
**Second American to complete this swim