Jen Schumacher is aiming to be the first person in history to conquer the Oceans Seven, seven of world’s most renowned or toughest marathon swims.

With the Catalina Channel under her cap (twice with a Catalina-to-mainland and a mainland-to-Crossing crossing), Jen is swimming towards a target no one has yet accomplished. She has everything going for her as it will be a multi-year goal: she is young, she has channel swimming experience (Catalina twice, Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, 17.5-mile crossing between Kauai and Niihau in Hawaii) and, very importantly, she has the business and logistical teams to get it done.

The Ocean’s Seven are seven iconic channel crossings on five continents that present extremely difficult and extreme conditions for the most hardy open water swimmers. It is a challenge for only the most committed who can swim across the English Channel (between England and France), the Strait of Gibraltar (between Spain and Morocco), the Molokai Channel (between Molokai and Oahu in Hawaii), the Cook Strait (between North and South Islands in New Zealand), the Tsugaru Strait (between Hokkaido and Honshu in Japan), the Irish Channel (between Ireland and Scotland) and the Catalina Channel (between Catalina Island and Southern California).

“The Ocean’s Seven is the pinnacle of channel swimming. Any swimmer, to be successful in the Ocean’s Seven will be required to brave cold water, treacherous currents, turbulent ocean swells, sharks and jellyfish. I believe Jen has the discipline, speed, and courage to accomplish the Oceans Seven,” said Forrest Nelson, himself a decorated channel swimmer of note.

Jen is swimming to raise awareness and donations for the Third Millennium Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted to ocean conservation and marine life protection, and its International Whales Network, which works through local experts in the Caribbean, Latin America, Pacific Islands and West Africa to promote whale protection and marine conservation in their respective regions.

“I’m passionate about protecting whales and combating the effects of over-fishing, climate change and pollution – especially plastics – on all marine life. I share these goals with the Third Millennium Foundation. I’ll be swimming to benefit 3MF because I believe in its forward-thinking approach, which combines research, education and international cooperation. Like the Ocean’s Seven, 3MF is working on a global scale, because safeguarding marine life and improving the health of the oceans is a challenge charged to the world.”

“We all stand in awe of Jen’s athletic ability, her courage and her determination to take on the daunting Ocean’s Seven. We are grateful to her for volunteering to be a spokesperson for 3MF and our International Whales Network,” says Leslie Busby, executive director of 3MF and coordinator of the International Whales Network.

Copyright © 2011 by Open Water Source