Life and Work with Sarah Thomas

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Thomas.

Sarah, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I am an ultra distance marathon swimmer. I did my first 10k open water swim in Horsetooth Reservoir in Fort Collins and built on that experience. Over the years, I have done long swims including: Catalina Channel (2010- 20 miles), English Channel single crossing (2012- 21 miles), Around Manhattan (2011- 28.5 miles), Double Lake Tahoe (2013- 42 miles), Double Lake Memphremagog (2013- 50 miles), Lake Powell (2016- 80 miles), Lake Champlain (104.6 miles). Lake Champlain set a record for the longest, current neutral swim ever. It took 67 hours. This past September, I became the first person to swim 4 lengths of the English Channel without stopping. It took me 54 hours and 10 minutes of continuous, non-stop swimming.

In November 2017, at the age of 35, I was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. I underwent chemotherapy, a mastectomy, and radiation treatment over 9 months.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My cancer diagnosis was a huge struggle along the way. I was lucky to have a great support team from my husband to family and friends to help along the way.

Otherwise, I’ve found that balancing my full-time job and my training needs has been tough over the years. It’s hard to fit the professional and financial demands of real life into the desire to swim really far, but I’m lucky my husband is supportive of the time and financial sacrifices we make in order for me to pursue my dreams.

What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
I am a healthcare recruiter in my full-time job. I work for Encompass Health, which is a rehab hospital. Our headquarters is in Birmingham, AL, though we do have a facility in Littleton and in Colorado Springs.

Often it feels as if the media, by and large, is only focused on the obstacles faced by women, but we feel it’s important to also look for the opportunities. In your view, are there opportunities that you see that women are particularly well-positioned for?
I’m lucky that open water swimming (and swimming in general) is filled with strong women who have come before me. I believe that their success and ability to push boundaries has made it so much easier for me to do so, following in their footsteps. In this sport, if you can dream it up- there will be people there to help you along the way.

Pricing:

• Just started coaching for open water swimming- training plans/workouts/limited stroke technique. Starting around $75/month

Contact Info:

• Email: crows.swimmers@gmail.com
• Facebook: Sarah Thomas- Open Water Marathon Swimmer: https://www.facebook.com/SarahThomasMarathonSwimmer
• Twitter: sarahswims04

Image Credit:
Ken Classen, Lynn Acton, Ryan Willis, James Musslewhite, Jon Washer

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