{"id":21118,"date":"2019-09-17T15:40:00","date_gmt":"2019-09-17T15:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/2019\/09\/17\/american-becomes-1st-person-to-swim-english-channel-4-times-without-stopping\/"},"modified":"2019-09-17T15:40:00","modified_gmt":"2019-09-17T15:40:00","slug":"american-becomes-1st-person-to-swim-english-channel-4-times-without-stopping","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/american-becomes-1st-person-to-swim-english-channel-4-times-without-stopping\/","title":{"rendered":"American Becomes 1st Person To Swim English Channel 4 Times Without Stopping"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Brakkton Booker<\/a><\/span> <\/p>\n

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\n Sarah Thomas, a 37-year-old cancer survivor, swims across the 21-mile English Channel. She said she was stung on the face by a jellyfish during her epic swim, in which she crisscrossed the channel four times, a journey that ended up being more than 130 miles because of the tides.<\/p>\n

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Jon Washer\/AP<\/p>\n

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Jon Washer\/AP<\/p>\n

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Sarah Thomas, an American ultramarathon swimmer, has just completed a swim that no other human on the planet has ever accomplished.<\/p>\n

The 37-year-old from Colorado plunged into waters off the shore of Dover, England, in the wee hours of Sunday morning. Her goal: swim the entire length of the English Channel.<\/p>\n

Then do it again.<\/p>\n

And again.<\/p>\n

And again.<\/p>\n

Thomas completed the final leg of her swim<\/a> at around 6:30 a.m. local time Tuesday in just over 54 hours\u2014 the first person to cross the channel four times without stopping.<\/p>\n

According to the Channel Swimming Association<\/a>, the English Channel is about 21 miles wide.<\/p>\n

In an interview with the BBC<\/a>, Thomas said she was in disbelief that she had done it and was surprised by a group of well-wishers who were waiting for her on shore when she got out of the water.<\/p>\n

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She’s done it ????
After treatment for breast cancer last year, Sarah Thomas has become the first person to swim across the Channel four times non-stop ????????????????
Congratulations! #channelswimmer<\/a> #sarahthomas<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/5Kfi4GzOnT<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) September 17, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n

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“I’m really just pretty numb,” she said. “There was a lot of people on the beach to meet me and wish me well and it was really nice of them, but I feel just mostly stunned.”<\/p>\n