The Thrill of Victory, The Agony of Training
59-year-old Martha Wood spent years training hard, thinking frequently, and planning carefully about crossing the English Channel. She swam year-round in the cold Atlantic Ocean waters Manchester-by-the-Sea in Massachusetts, participated in the SCAR Swim, and attended the Cork Distance Week in Ireland where she completed the Body Brain Confusion Swim. All that training in cold, rough waters – most times when no one else was on the shorelines where she trained – finally paid off.
On August 6th, she did successfully crossed the English Channel from England to France in 12 hours 25 minutes.
Elaine Howley took an outstanding channel swimming photo when Wood stood triumphantly on the rocky shore of France on Cap Gris Nez. Howley is a renowned marathon swimmer herself, a veteran escort crew member, a prolific journalist, and a photographer extraordinaire.
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