Twenty-one miles may not seem like a long journey, but when it’s done with nothing but kicks and strokes, it can seem like an eternity.

In 2007, Michelle Macy first braved the cold waters of the English Channel to join the legions of marathon swimmers who have attempted the daunting swim between England the France. The 32-year-old Chaska native and 1995 Chaska High School grad finished the swim in a slick 10 hours and two minutes.

Two days later, she made up her mind to tackle the Channel again. Not content to just redo her swim, she upped the ante, declaring that she would traverse the Channel not once, not twice, but three times.

For two years, Macy trained and prepared for the swim. Earlier this month, the business consultant who now calls Portland, Ore. home, attempted to make good on the bold goal she had set for herself.

Photo by Katherine SchwarzThis second attempt would not go as well as her first swim, however. Three hours into the swim, Macy lost the fire and decided to call it quits. She forged ahead for more than eight hours to complete the first leg of her journey and even start on the return trip before hopping into the boat for the remainder of the ride back to England.  

The Chaska Herald asked Macy a few questions about her English Channel crossings and found out what’s next for the marathon swimmer.

Q: When did you first entertain the idea of swimming the English Channel?

A: I first thought of the [English Channel] when I became a distance swimmer in high school (Macy swam for CHS from eighth grade on). However, it didn’t come back to me until 2006 after being asked “If you had all the time in the world what would you do?”

Q: How do you prepare for such a swim mentally, physically, logistically?

A: I spent a lot of time working with various types of trainers and coaches for the physical component of the swim. For the mental training it just takes time. And logistically I spoke to a lot of other marathon swimmers especially those that had swum the [English Channel].

Q: How many people does it take to coordinate swimming the channel?

A: I did all the coordination of getting me and the crew to England. As for number of crew needed to take care of me on the swim, this varies based on the swimmer and the swim. Some like only one or two, some swimmers bring a small party. I prefer the two to four range.

Q: Tell us a bit about your first swim across the channel.

A:* Friday night I ate my weight in pasta with red sauce, rashers and mushrooms. I thought that I was going to explode or at least sink when I entered the water the next morning. My crew just kept ensuring that I wouldn’t and that I would need the energy.

Saturday morning we drove down to Folkestone Harbor. After parking we quickly met Mikey the (Channel Swimming Association) observer assigned for the swim. He was a very jovial fellow who was quick with a joke and a laugh. I remember one of his first questions being “Is this a drunken bet or a lifelong dream?”

As soon as I arrived on the rocky beach [at Samphire Hoe], I made sure my toes were out of the water and I turned back to the boat. I remember just waiting for the horn signaling the start of the swim. I didn’t wave or do a little dance, I just began my part of the job … swimming.

Hours four through eight are pretty much where the fog starts to occur. I know that I was counting jellyfish. I saw eight and had two close encounters when I stopped counting.

[With one mile left] I returned to my stroke rate of 64-65 and stopped powering through as hard.

My dream was coming true. I began to see the ripples of the sand beneath me and then I began to feel it beneath my hands and feet. Then I stood up and started to run. Yes run! I was going to finish this thing in style. I ran all the way in laughing, crying and laughing some more. Once my toes passed the water, I turned and waved to the boat and then I heard the most beautiful sound … the boat horn.

Q: What kind of toll does the swim take on your body? How do you feel when you get out of the water? The next day?

A. Immediately after the swim I typically feel fine for the ride back to England. Then I get really tired and my shoulders become quite stiff and sore. The next day I’m still a tired and sore which is expected after 10-plus hours of swimming in cold water. Some swimmers can also lose quite a bit of weight on the swim. The first swim I lost 7 pounds. What percentage was water weight and what percentage was fat, I don’t know.

Q: What convinced you to try a second swim across the channel? And why did you decide to make it three crossings?

A: I just really enjoyed my first crossing so I signed up to come back. As for three crossings, I wanted to push myself to my limits.

Q: How long did you take to prepare for this feat?

A: I started preparing in October 2007.

Photo by Katherine SchwarzQ: Why did you quit mid-swim? What was going through your mind as you made that decision?

A:* Two years ago, I swam the Channel for the first time. Two days after that I signed up to swim it again. However, I had a new goal. I wanted to swim the Channel three times in one go. Yes, that is right, swim first from England to France, turn around swim back to England, and then do it one more time. Only three people have accomplished it before and many have attempted.

At the time I signed up I wanted to do something great in my life.

It was the third hour that I began to notice that off-feeling becoming stronger. Since we marathon swimmers have plenty of time in our heads, I decided to explore this feeling and deal with it and move on. It seemed to me that the question that needed to be answered was “Why are we doing this?” I could definitely remember my original intent, but I no longer felt the fire that went with it.

It was then that I realized that my path was about to change. At the three-hour feeding I told my crew, “We have a problem. I’m fine physically, but my heart hurts. I will finish this part of the swim, as that is the right thing to do, but I don’t think I can go on.” So for another eight hours and 26 minutes, I swam.

After reaching France, my fabulous crew asked me to continue swimming. I did … for a very short period of time.

Q: What’s next for you?

A. I’m going to take some time to regroup. However, I will continue marathon swimming and I have some smaller swims planned for this summer. Then next year, I’ve already scheduled to swim the Cook Strait between North and South New Zealand.

In addition, I’m committed to raising $50,000 through swimming for the Masonic Cancer Center of Minnesota for breast cancer research. Thus far, with support from friends and family, we have raised over $10,000. Lastly, I will go back to pounding the pavement to seek out sponsors to help me follow my dreams and passion of marathon swimming.

-Mollee Francisco, staff writer

* Excerpts, edited for length, taken from Macy’s blog post, per her response to the question.