Cancer survivor Sarah Thomas swims England Channel 4 times nonstop

Bret Gibson
Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2019 10:20 p.m. | Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2019 10:20 p.m.

This undated photo shows American swimmer Sarah Thomas, 37, swim the English Channel. The American cancer survivor has become the first person to swim across the English Channel four times in a row completing the remarkable feat Tuesday morning Sept. 17, 2019, after more than 54 hours of swimming.

This undated photo shows American swimmer Sarah Thomas, 37, swims the English Channel. The American cancer survivor has become the first person to swim across the English Channel four times in a row completing the remarkable feat Tuesday morning Sept. 17, 2019, after more than 54 hours of swimming.

It was a remarkable feat … times four.

Breast cancer survivor Sarah Thomas became the first person to ever swim the English Channel four times consecutively.

Colorado endurance swimmer, cancer survivor Sarah Thomas swims English Channel 4 times nonstop. https://t.co/knz1hx0yny

— NBC News (@NBCNews) September 17, 2019

The Colorado native, 37, completed the challenge Tuesday morning after more than 54 hours of swimming.

Thomas, an ultramarathon swimmer, completed her treatment in last year. She has dedicated the swim to “all the survivors out there.”

The length of the swim route was expected to be a little over 80 miles. But as a result of the currents and tides, Outdoor Swimmer magazine estimated she traveled more than 130 miles.

Thomas posted on Facebook before the challenge that she admitted to being “scared” and said that the Channel can do “a lot of crazy things.”

The Guardian reported that Thomas drank a carbohydrate-laden shake every half hour to keep her body replenished. Her mother, Becky Baxter, said the shake was “tied to a rope” and tossed to Thomas from a nearby boat where a crew was keeping a watchful eye on her.

US breast cancer survivor swims across the English Channel four times non-stop in a 54-hour, record-setting feat of endurancehttps://t.co/EGve6AeXPr pic.twitter.com/JhXX6KnqOQ

— AFP news agency (@AFP) September 18, 2019

“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.”

Sarah Thomas has become the first person to swim the Channel four consecutive times.

Setting off just after midnight on Sunday, Sarah swam night and day for more than 54 hours, battling the currents for 84 miles.

? Tom Nicholson for @TheTimes https://t.co/2hbum9KsOp pic.twitter.com/e0NZktrVJt

— The Times Pictures (@TimesPictures) September 17, 2019

Bret Gibson is a TribLive digital producer. A South Hills resident, he started working for the Trib in 1998. He can be reached at bgibson@triblive.com.