Most consecutive swim crossings of the English Channel

Most consecutive swim crossings of the English Channel
Who
Sarah Thomas
What
4 total number
Where
United Kingdom (Dover)
When
17 September 2019

On 17 September 2019, ultra-swimmer Sarah Thomas (USA) swam across the English Channel four times consecutively without stopping, as ratified by the Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation. Thomas set out from Shakespeare Beach in Dover, UK, at just after midnight on 15 September 2019, swimming to Cap Gris-Nez in northern France. After completing the journey three more times, she arrived back at Shakespeare Beach at 6.30 a.m. (BST) two days later – a cumulative swimming time of 54 hours 10 minutes.

The legs of the journey took the following times:

Leg 1, UK to France: 11:26:50

Leg 2, France to UK: 12:41:14

Leg 3, UK to France: 12:58:16

Leg 4, France to UK: 17:05:40

Previously, four swimmers had crossed the water between England and France three times without stopping: Jon Erikson (USA) in 1981; Philip Rush (New Zealand) in 1987; Alison Streeter (UK) in 1990; and Chloe McCardel (Australia) in 2015.

Veteran long-distance swimmer Thomas had previously completed one-way crossings of the English Channel in 2012 and 2016.

Thomas completed treatment for breast cancer in summer 2018 and dedicated her record-breaking Channel swim to other survivors of the disease.