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LONDON – An American cancer survivor has become the first person to cross the Channel, which separates England and France, four times without interruption.
Sarah Thomas left Dover Sunday after midnight. She completed her fourth lap 54 hours and 13 minutes later Tuesday morning, after 133 miles of swimming.
After getting out of the water, the exhausted swimmer is lying on the pebble beach. He then received M & M and a glass of champagne.
"Yes, I'm scared. The chain can do a lot of crazy things and for this to happen, we will need luck, "wrote Thomas on Facebook Saturday before leaving.
"But, hopefully, between the preparation I've made and the experience of my crew and my boat captain, we can do it together."
Thomas, who lives in Colorado, was diagnosed with breast cancer less than two years ago and underwent treatment in the following months. Before his diagnosis, Thomas was swimming long distances and as soon as his health allowed, she returned to the water.
"I've been waiting for this swim for over two years now and I've fought so hard to get here.Am I 100%?" No. But I'm the best I can be right now, with that I have lived, with more fire and fighting than ever, "she wrote in her Facebook message dedicating this swim to" all survivors ".
A boat equipped with GPS systems and several computers accompanied Thomas throughout his journey, monitoring the wind, tides and currents. A crew consisting of her mother, her husband and several swimmers who accompanied her during her trip acclaimed her and assured her to stay nurtured during the trip.
Thomas took breaks every 30 to 60 minutes while swimming to stock up on protein shakes and his favorite snack, the M & Ms, according to Eddie Spelling, captain of Thomas's escort ship, Anastasia.
"She is very tired and rightly so," Spelling said in a telephone interview with NBC News shortly after Thomas finished his last round. "America should be proud. It's the best thing I've ever seen. "
Documentary filmmaker Jon Washer, who is shooting a film about Thomas's trip, posted a photo of a swimmer on the beach after he got out of the water.
"I can not believe we did," Thomas told the BBC after his landing. "I'm really numb.There were a lot of people on the beach to meet me and wish me good luck and it was really nice of them, but I feel really stunned."
Swimming the Channel, even once, is not easy. Even experienced swimmers train long and hard to cross the cold and congested shipping lane with strong currents. The first recorded journey through the canal took place at the end of the 19th century by Matthew Webb, whose journey lasted 21 hours and 45 minutes.
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