Michelle Macy

Macy was the third person in history to achieve the Oceans Seven and complete all seven of the world's major channels:

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Description

Michelle Macy is a 40-year-old American marathon swimmer from Oregon who is considered to be one of the world’s most accomplished marathon swimmers who began swimming at a young age and was a competitive swimmer through college. She created the Stillwater 8.

Open Water Swimming Career Highlights

On 6 December 2016, she crossed the Beagle Channel from Glacier Italia on Tierra del Fuego to Gordon Island in Chile, a 2 km crossing in 6.4°C (45°F) water in 44 minutes 51 seconds that established a new swim route offered by Patagonia Swim.
On 28 November 2016, she set the female record crossing the Straits of Magellan in Chile in 58 minutes 14 seconds, breaking the record of Lynne Cox in 1 hour 2 minutes in 1966
She was the third person in history to achieve the Oceans Seven.
She created the Still Water Eight in October 2011.
She crossed the English Channel three times in 2006, 2009, and 2012. Her crossing of 10 hours 2 minutes in September 2006 was the fastest American swimming under a Channel Swimming Association sanction.
She is a member of the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming.
She is a lifetime member of both the Catalina Channel Swimming Federation and the Santa Barbara Channel Swimming Association.
She completed the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim in 2008 in 6 hours 55 minutes.
She holds record in the North Channel between Ireland and Scotland.
She holds the record across the Anacapa Channel between Anacapa Island and the California mainland.
She was nominated as the 2014 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year for her achievement of the Oceans Seven and her generous help of other open water swimmers.
She was named to the list of World’s 50 Most Adventurous Open Water Women by the World Open Water Swimming Association in 2015.
She was inducted in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame as an Honor Swimmer in its Class of 2019.
She is scheduled to participate in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge transatlantic course as a stage relay in 2021 together with Mark Pollard, Mickey Helps, David Kimber, and Mike Baumann.

Oceans Seven

Macy was the third person in history to achieve the Oceans Seven and complete all seven of the world’s major channels:

33.5 km across the English Channel from England to France in 10 hours 2 minutes in 2006, in 11 hours 46 minutes in 2009, and in 10 hours 45 minutes in 2012.
32.3 km across the Catalina Channel from Santa Catalina Island to the California mainland in 10 hours 12 minutes in 2008.
35 km across the North Channel in 9 hours 44 minutes on 15 July 2014, a record from Northern Ireland to Scotland
14.4 km across the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain to Morocco in 4 hours 49 minutes in 2011.
23 km across the Cook Strait in New Zealand in 8 hours 2 minutes in 2010.
42 km across the Molokai Channel from Molokai to Oahu in 14 hours 12 minutes in 2011.
19.5 km across the Tsugaru Channel from Honshu to Hokkaido in Japan in 8 hours 55 minutes to set women’s record in 2012.

2014 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year Nomination

Macy was nominated for the 2014 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year. Her nomination reads: Her love of the sport knows no limits, she serves as support crew as readily as she dives in the water for her own marathon swims. Michelle Macy was the first American and third person overall to achieve the Oceans Seven. The full-time Nike employee takes enough time out of her busy work schedule to become one of the most prolific and accomplished open water swimmers in contemporary times. Without sponsors and without hype, the friendly, thoughtful, seriously-minded swimmer moves about the globe to cross channels and help others in their own quests. For her world record time across the North Channel, for her achievement of the Oceans Seven, for her joyful willingness to crew for other swimmers around the world, Michelle Macy is a worthy nominee for the 2014 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.

Taupo x 3 Relay

Macy was a member of the Taupo x 3 relay, a three-way crossing of Lake Taupo by a 6-person male team and a 6-person female team of experienced open water swimmers in January 2009. The Taupo x 3 relay teams set a world lake swimming record by completing a 126 km (68.2 miles) triple-crossing of Lake Taupo, the largest lake in New Zealand under organisers Chris Palfrey, Penny Palfrey, and Julie Bradshaw. The swim started at 5:44 am on 5 January 2009. The men’s relay team finished in 34 hours 41 minutes 15 seconds and included Steve Junk (Australia), Mark Cockroft (New Zealand), Dougal Hunt (Australia), Chris Palfrey (Australia), and Stephen Spence (Australia) with New Zealand legend Philip Rush as the escort pilot. The women’s relay team finished in 34 hours 44 minutes 45 seconds and included Julie Bradshaw (England), Michelle Macy (USA), Barbara Pellick (Australia), Penny Palfrey (Australia), Lucy Roper (England), and Heather Osborn (New Zealand). The plan was to start at first light from near Tokaanu, at the southern most point of the lake, heading roughly north east past Motutaiko Island, cutting close to Rangitiri point, before finishing on the beach in front of the Waikato River. The distance by GPS for one lap was 40.2 km. The second lap retraced the course back to the starting point and the final lap was a repeat of the first. The men finished the first leg of 40.2 km in a time of 10 hours 22 minutes; the women finished in 10 hours 28 minutes. The men finished the second leg of 40.2 km in 12 hours 15 minutes; the women finished in 12 hours 19 minutes. The men finished the third leg of 40.2 km in 10 hours 54 minutes; the women finished in 10 hours 54 minutes. Both teams broke the world relay record set in December 2008 by 2 teams of 50 swimmers, each doing 2 km, who covered 100 km in 46 hours 6 minutes.