The Summer I Swam Pretty: Everything You Didn’t Know About Marathon Swimming

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:08):
Welcome to Trivia Tangents, the podcast where we turn everyday
passions into surprising trivia deep dives.
I'm your host, Lena, and each week I quiz a friend on
something they know way too muchabout, turning everyday passions
into trivia gold. We all know that on trivia
night, the bigger the team, the better you'll play.
That's why I bring the team together here on Trivia
Tangents. So get ready for some fun facts

(00:30):
you'll definitely want for your next trivia night.
In this episode, I interview Lauren, a marathon open water
swimmer. She's best known for her
unassisted long distance swims, and we talk all about her
experience. From training to feedings during
a swim to jellyfish, we uncover a whole new world underwater.
And if it's not sinking in how incredibly talented she is.

(00:51):
She literally swims non-stop in open bodies of water, sometimes
between countries, literally swimming from one country to
another. The first section here is about
the Dolphin Club, and I feel like I didn't give enough
background on what that actuallyis.
So in San Francisco we actually have a large swimming culture
because obviously we have the Bay and people swim in it.

(01:12):
So there are two prominent Bay swim clubs, the Dolphin Club and
the South End Rowing Club. They're actually neighbors along
the Bay and they obviously sharethe same body of water for
swimming. Lauren is a member of the
Dolphin Club, so she has the inside scoop on all the friendly
rivalry that goes on between thetwo.
I had a lot of fun quizzing Lauren on the history of the
Dolphin Club, other famous unassisted marathon swimmers,

(01:35):
and of course, jellyfish. Enjoy the episode.
Hi, Lauren, welcome to the podcast.
Hello, thank you for having me. Thank you so much for being
here. I'm so excited to talk to you
about all things open water swimming.
Yes, I'm so excited I have somebody to listen to me while I

(01:57):
talk about one of my favorite subjects.
So this. Is good.
I'm so excited. And just to give the listeners a
little bit of a background, Lauren did do water polo
competitively and currently coaches high school water polo
in the Bay Area. So you're of course obviously
very talented swimmer to name a few of your swims.
We have Ireland to Scotland, so the North Channel, Catalina

(02:19):
Island to mainland California and then England to France.
So the English Channel. That's just, I just picked 3.
You've obviously done way more than that.
Yes, those are some big ones. There's some fun ones.
I mean something I've also swim across Lake Tahoe.
That's another one that listeners might know.
Tahoe is one of those crazy bodies of water that's like, you

(02:40):
know, people are like, oh, it's just a lake.
It's gorgeous, but it has like wind currents.
It can have waves. So it's definitely a, a menacing
body of water. It's also the same distance
across as the English Channel, which is also wild to think of.
Yeah, they're both 21 miles across that They're they're
well, English Channel at its shortest, I guess, and Tahoe at

(03:01):
its longest, which is like, yeah, totally blew my mind when
I realized that. So that means England and
France, that's the distance, 21 miles.
Oh my God, that's crazy. Well, obviously today we are
discussing open water swimming, long distance open water
swimming. And I'm so excited to learn more
from you and also do a little bit of quizzing here and there

(03:24):
with some fun trivia questions that I put together.
We have 3 sections today, The Dolphin Club going the distance
literally. And then things that sting.
I love that title. I'm excited for that, for that
section, but we'll have to wait till the very end for that.
So Are you ready for question one in Section 1?

(03:45):
Yes, I'm so nervous, but yes. You have your knowledge, you
have your swimming skills and you have your matcha, so you're
ready to go. Exactly, yes.
I was inspired by one of your last episodes and I have my
matcha with me, so it's far too late for matcha, but I I was
like, I got to have some. Section 1 The dolphin club

(04:12):
trivia question one in 1937, swimmer Zeta Weed, coached by
Charlie Sava, broke barriers by joining Which men's only swim at
the dolphin club, a Golden Gate swim, B Alcatraz swim, C
Farallon Island Swim or D GoldenGate to Bay Bridge swim.

(04:35):
OK, I don't know really know theanswer to this.
However, I do know that at that time, like Golden Gate swims
were really popular. And that was maybe I don't know
about this particular swimmer, but one of the first that like
women were allowed to to race ineven though they weren't allowed
to be members yet. So I'm going to go with the
Golden Gate swim. Yeah, you're correct.

(04:58):
Yeah, I love. That good job yes, you're.
Right. The Golden Gate swim, basically
where people swim across the length of the Golden Gate, like
right underneath it, That was super popular during that time,
according to the Dolphin Club's history.
I have swam the Golden Gate. It's about a mile across.

(05:19):
So, you know, if you're a competitive swimmer, that's not
that long. But what's really, I mean,
what's really cool about it is that obviously the it's iconic.
You know, you're under the gate the whole time, but it's also
really swelly cuz, right? It's kind of like this magical
border once you cross under the Golden Gate and you're out in
the open ocean, like those swells just get way bigger.

(05:40):
So it's it is challenging in that way, in that it's a shorter
swim, but it's kind of feels like you're in the open ocean.
So it's pretty fun, yeah. Cuz cuz you are.
Yes, you basically are. You're at the very edge of the
Bay, So yeah, yeah. Awesome.
Well before we get into more discussion questions, let me
give you some background on MissZeta Weed.

(06:02):
In 1937, a teenage girl, Zeta Weed joins the men's only
dolphin, Golden Gate Swim and steals all the publicity.
Her coach, Charlie Sava. That name might ring a bell.
Yes it does. Was a legendary swimming figure,
known for his technical coachingand inclusivity.
This wasn't just a swim, it was a moment of quiet protest and

(06:26):
athletic defiance. It would take over 40 years for
the club, the Dolphin Club, to even open a woman's locker room,
but Zeta Weed Swim cracked the surface.
Side tangent about Mr. Charlie Sava, that name definitely rings
a bell. It is, in my opinion, one of the
most beautiful indoor swimming pools in San Francisco.

(06:47):
We don't have that many so. That's a whole nother episode I
feel like Yes. Totally.
But basically this this pool, Sava pool on 19th Ave. in the
sunset is obviously named after Charlie Sava.
That's all I like dug into it about that pool specifically.
So awesome, I did. I did not know that.

(07:08):
Like I did not make that connection.
So that's very cool. Yeah, who knew?
And then also, let's not forget about the Dolphin Club's
colorful past. Very colorful.
Very. Colorful.
In 1899, for example, 2 Dolphin Club charter members, the

(07:28):
Carolyn Brothers, opened Hotel Nymphia, which was San
Francisco's most notorious brothel.
You can see a remnants of this body history in the men's locker
room with prominently displayed pinup posters.
And Hotel Nymphia was a three story building with about 150

(07:50):
cubicles on each floor. I like how they wrote cubicles.
Not even rooms, just cubicles. Yeah, that's crazy.
Yeah, I'll, I'll link the website in the description
below. But basically the intention of
the brothers, the Carolyn brothers, was to name the place
Hotel Nymphomania and to quote stock it with women suffering

(08:11):
from the condition and quote. Oh my gosh.
Is gross and also nymphomania ornymphomaniacs is like not the
technical word anymore to like describe that condition.
And that website says on a quoteUN quote good night.
A prostitute might serve as manyas 100 men.

(08:31):
So. And then I read some gross thing
about, you know, you could pay, like, a nickel to, like, look
through a peephole and a door and watch someone do their
business. So gross.
Yeah. So gross.
So that's a little bit of history on the Dolphin Club.
And the Dolphin Club isn't necessarily like that now.

(08:54):
That's just, it's history, you know, and Lauren is a or was a
member of the Dolphin Club. Yes, still a member.
Still a member. Nice, still a member.
So I've seen those pin up photosat the Dolphin Club.
I know you've seen them. We can confirm they're real.
However, apparently there are also pin up photos of men in the

(09:15):
men's locker room. Am I right?
So I, you know, I cannot speak to the men's locker room because
I have not been in there. Wait, what?
I thought you they gave you likea tour or something one time?
Like when it was empty? That's what I heard.
No, I, no, I have, I've seen photos of things in there.

(09:35):
OK, yes. And I have, I have many,
obviously many male member friends who know the locker room
very well and, and do tell me stories about it.
But yeah, the, you know, it, it goes back to the, the history of
the Dolphin Club. So obviously those are the
brothers. I I do want to clarify, the
Dolphin Club itself was not usedto say brothel.
It was like this other hotel, yes.

(09:57):
Yes. It was, of course, kind of
created as like a men's club andit wasn't until what, the 70s,
until women were actually let in.
And I'm sure we'll go over all of that and how that happened,
but it does kind of still carry that like old boys men's club
type of vibe, even though I think most people in the club

(10:19):
are actually very welcoming and there are many women members
now. And so it's really changed a
lot. But at the those pin up posters,
I think are just a little bit ofa, you know, holdover for like a
better word from kind of that those origins.
There has been lots of discussion amongst members about
those posters. There are some who love them and

(10:40):
who are like it's OK, and there are some who are upset about it.
Both genders, by the way, or allgenders, I should say, on
different sides. So, you know, I, I don't know
that I have a full opinion aboutit.
I I do think it's kind of funny.Yeah.
But yes, there have been, there was a reported googly eyes

(11:02):
placed on some interesting body parts on one of the posters.
And then there was a whole fightabout that and how it was
destruction of property. Oh.
My God. Yes, so the posters have created
some club drama, but for the most part I think it's just
they're there and you can look at them or not.
And I guess it makes sense in the locker room, like everyone's

(11:24):
naked anyway, so it's true. And, well, and there have been
women because there are not any posters in the women's locker
room. So the women are like, well,
maybe we should put up male posters.
But then there's a bunch of themare like, we don't want to look
at male posters. Yeah, like, let's not do it just
because we can't. Like.
Anyways, yeah. So it is a little fun fact about

(11:47):
the Dolphin Club. Yeah, a little bit.
Have a quirk? Yes, a quirk, a remnant of a
pastime, I think. Yes, yes.
So you mentioned the women's locker room.
I believe the women's locker room opened in 1978.
I think that's right. Yeah, and it's I heard or seen

(12:07):
from articles, it is smaller than the men's locker room.
And obviously you are a woman. And I know you know, from the
one time I went to go swimming with you guys, there's a huge
female presence at the Dolphin Club today, which is amazing.
And I think I saw even the SF Gate released an article today
about Dolphin Club women memberswho they were calling it like

(12:29):
cold plunging in the Bay. But I think they were actually
just swimming normally. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So can you tell me more about the female presence at the club
and like how it makes you feel as a as a female summer
yourself? Yeah, yeah.
So, yeah, I think I don't know the exact numbers of how many

(12:50):
women there are. It's got, it may not, but be
50%. I want to say it's probably like
30 or 40%, but you can Fact Check me on that.
And it's it's a really welcominggroup.
And what's so cool about the Dolphin Club in in general is
that you have people at all levels just enjoying the ocean.
So whether it is like, you know,they're a daily cold blender.

(13:11):
So they go into the water and kind of just tread water there
maybe for a few minutes and get out, or they're, you know,
swimming around or they're swimming very long distances.
You know, everybody's there and understands at the core of it,
whether you're long distance or you're a coal plunger or
whatever you're doing, like you're there enjoying our home
and the water and we kind of allhave that in common.

(13:33):
So the sauna is another wonderful thing about the
dolphin glove and that's kind ofwhere the bonding I think
usually happens. So we do have separate sauna.
So there's a men's sauna, a women's sauna.
And so I think that's where a lot of like, you know, female
bonding time happens. And I always, you know, there
are people that you kind of swimat the same time with.
So even though you may not plan to be there at the same time,

(13:55):
you'll you'll see them in the sauna, you know, every time you
go. And then there's also, you know,
guests that come along because we do allow guests on certain
days. And maybe just somebody that is
a member, but you just haven't crossed paths before and getting
to interact with folks in the sauna.
Yeah, after you both just have separately but kind of shared
this experience in the Bay, I guess is really, really

(14:20):
wonderful. And you can always find like at
the core of it, we we have that in common.
And so we might be very different people, but we love
the Bay and love how it makes usfeel.
And you can relate on that level, which is really awesome.
I love that. I love that.
And then you can like find maybea mentor, if not even in
swimming, like just a mentor in life.
Like there are so many wise people there and swimming is so

(14:44):
healthy. Yeah.
For everyone that like, I feel like you know, people who are
Dolphin Club members are probably very healthy, like
minded people as yourself. Yeah, I think so.
And and the the average age, I don't know what the average age
is, but it's probably, I'll say older than me.
I'm 30. Yeah, So yeah, you have do have

(15:07):
a lot of older people at the Dolphin Club.
I will not say old, I'll say older than me.
And I think it's really inspiring because you'll see,
you know, grandmas and they're out there doing these long swims
and, and are really healthy and have a great mindset and they're
out there just living their lifeand are so young and vibrant.
And so I think it's really inspiring to me of like changing

(15:28):
the attitude I think that we like in our society have about
age and aging. And it's kind of like flipped it
on its head for me. Like, oh, aging is actually
really beautiful and wonderful. Like there's so many women at
the Dolphin Club that I I reallylook up to.
And yeah, they share their experiences in the sauna.
So that's really a magical thing.
Yes. That's where it happens.

(15:48):
That's where it happens. I love that.
Yes, these women are wise and strong.
These women are badass. Oh my God, they are.
They are. So you're also a member of the
South End Rowing Club, is that right?
I'm not, I'm not a member of South End.
I I have considered becoming a dual member, but I I'm not there

(16:11):
yet. So.
This is controversial, you guys,for people listening, because
apparently there's a legendary rivalry between the South End
Rowing Club and the Dolphin Cluband they're very close together,
aren't they? Like next door.
Yes, yes, they are. So we basically share a beach.
So they, yeah, there's, they're two separate clubs and they have

(16:31):
their own docks. And then in the middle we share
the beach. So this rivalry dates back,
gosh, so many years. According to the Dolphin Club
history section of their website, apparently there was a
Farallon Islands relay race in 1968 between the Dolphin Club
and South End Rowing Club. This was the first relay race

(16:54):
they had and the Dolphin Club won of course.
So I was curious to ask you, arethere still competitive races or
friendly feuds between the two clubs today?
Yes, absolutely. I think overall we definitely
look at ourselves maybe saying as one club is a little too far,
but we are all base swimmers. So at the end of the day we're

(17:16):
we're one. But yeah, there definitely is
some friendly competition. We do a triathlon every year and
it's basically a club wide triathlon.
So like it's the Dolphin club against the South end Rowing
Club. So we'll have a bunch of Dolphin
runners competing against all the South end runners and then
the rowers and then the swimmers.

(17:36):
So that is a really nice competition.
And we have a little like plaquethat goes back and forth between
the clubs and it stays got it inthat club for a year.
You know, if you if you win it. I will say the South End has
been dominating in the past few years with the triathlon, but a
lot of it has to do with numbersand just like people coming out

(17:59):
or, you know, choosing to participate.
So there's that. But it is, yeah, very friendly,
fun competition. Yeah.
Yeah. You know, even if you're like,
so we call our swimming groups pods.
So in my swimming pod, like I have dolphins and South Enders.
So even if we go into different clubs in the morning, we'll meet

(18:19):
up on the beach and we still swim together so.
Yeah. Aw, that's really sweet.
I didn't realize that you guys were like, so like, friendly
with each other. I really like that.
It reminds me of, you know, whenyou're watching an NBA game and
at the end of the game they all hug each other like they're
brothers, and sometimes they arebrothers.
Yes, yeah. Like they just seem so friendly

(18:42):
and buddy, buddy, and I'm like, what?
You guys were just like battlingit out on the court.
Yeah, I think that's mostly the relationship.
I mean, sometimes there are issues like, for example, the
Dolphin Club is doing some renovation and so there's a
little bit of back and forth about like what you can do
because we don't want to block the South end and all that.

(19:02):
But yeah, for the most part, very, very friendly.
That's good. And yeah, we even will host
swims together as well. I didn't participate this year.
We actually just had our pride swim and that's usually a joint
South End and dolphin swim. You know, we pilot it together
and swim together and it's open to everybody.
Not all swims, but we do have somewhere we we do them together

(19:23):
so. That's good.
I love that. I love the friendly, friendly
feuds. And you know, I guess it makes
sense. What, like 80, no, 60 years
after like the original relay race, the IT seems like the
Dolphin Club was really taking the lead in late 1960s Stuart

(19:44):
Evans in 1967 was the first person to swim from the Farallon
Islands to Point Bolinas, which is basically north of San
Francisco. So I guess, you know, it makes
sense 60 years ago. That's 60 years ago, right?
Yeah, ish. 50-60 years ago, Dolphin Club was kind of
winning. Now it's time for a South End to
kind of shine, I guess. However, you become a member of

(20:07):
South End. I don't know, maybe.
We'll see. We'll see.
Yeah. No, I, I don't think I would
ever give up my dolphin membership.
I think I would become a dual member.
So the other thing, the thing about a dual member is that
like, you know, it's kind of like, oh, like you can't walk
the line. You have to choose one, which

(20:27):
again, is totally a friendly, a friendly thing.
But yeah, yeah, I don't know, maybe I'll become a dual member.
I like both, they're wonderful. So Lauren, what is your favorite
time of year to swim in the Bay?Yes, I think you already know
the answer to this because I have made Luna swim in the Bay
during my favorite time of year.I I like it when it's coldest.
So typically the coldest time ofyear is actually like February,

(20:51):
but like December, January, it'sstarting to get pretty chilly
and I really, really love cold water.
I think it's where I get the most like benefit from the cold
water experience. Yeah.
Yeah, and I think you like cold water too.
God. No, the answer is no for me.
However, I I totally recognize. Yeah, cold water is super

(21:13):
healthy, like a cold plunge, youknow, and that's what makes the
sauna feel so good afterwards. And I'm all down for a cold
plunge like Max 30 seconds. That's all.
It's far as I can do. But yes, I remember I think 2
birthdays ago, I'll do anything for someone's birthday.
But basically Lauren had a little scavenger hunt.

(21:35):
Do you want to share? Sure.
I made a bunch of family and friends do this little scavenger
hunt with free. It was pirate themed and they
basically, I think I had you guys report at like 7:00 AM or
something, something stupid early to the beach.
They're in Aquatic Park. My birthday's December 23rd, so

(21:57):
I think it was December 23rd. And yeah, I had the part of the
scavenger hunt was there was like a clue or something.
And then part of it was they hadto get in the water.
So earlier that morning I had gone out and swam around the
park and put, I put like a bags of things just like out tied to
buoys and boats and stuff. And then they had to figure out

(22:20):
the clue on the beach and then somebody send somebody out to go
collect the items. I was so impressed because Lena
shows up in like, her two piece in, you know, December on the
beach, which like, you know, whynot?
And it became your turn to do something.
I don't know what it was. And kind of all the boys were
like, oh, they're just kind of like wading into the water and

(22:42):
going really slow and like complaining.
And you were just like, Nope. And you ran into the water, like
sprinted out to the buoy, which was like kind of far out.
It was not like a few strokes. Yeah.
And we're all on the beach. Like, where did Lena go?
And you're like, out there. Yeah.

(23:04):
So I was very, very impressed. And also like, 'cause I know you
like, have done a bit of swimming, but I was also
impressed with like, your, your swimming skill as well, 'cause I
know that's not, wasn't your main sport.
So just like how fast you were. I was like, Dang, like you gotta
get Lena marathon those. Gymnastics arms, you know.
Yes, exactly. Yeah, that was AI just knew I

(23:28):
had to full send or else I was never gonna do it.
And also what amazing opportunity to, you know, one up
all the boys. Exactly, Yeah.
And I was like, you're you guys are marinating yourselves like
chickens and like figuratively and literally, I guess.
But I was like, if I touch that water and don't fully force

(23:50):
myself and I'm not going to go all the way in so.
Yes, yes, it's definitely easierif you just jump in.
Yeah, I remember for just I wanted to share this really
quick. I just remember like seriously,
I may be being a bit dramatic, but my fingers, my feet, it were
slowly, I could feel them slowlyfreezing up like that scene and

(24:12):
like frozen where she also starts becoming frozen.
Literally that's how it started to feel.
And like I felt numb and I couldfeel myself starting to slow
down. Like I felt like, Oh my God, is
this what the people in the Titanic felt like?
And then I started to get reallyhot.

(24:34):
Like really really. Really hot on the outside of my
skin. So it's very, very weird
experience. It is like cold water is a very
weird experience, which is why Ilove it because it makes you
feel like be really in tune withyour body and like what your
body is doing. And it's kind of some of those
feelings and like the kind of like high that you get

(24:55):
afterwards. Yeah.
Is something that like, you know, I don't know where you can
get it elsewhere. Yeah, it's it's really crazy so.
Yeah. So what has been your favorite
swim that you've done in the Bay?
And is it true that there are sharks?
Because I've seen whales, so I would not be surprised about

(25:16):
sharks. Yes, OK, so the shark question,
yes, there are sharks. We do have great whites that are
in the Bay. But The thing is it's like you
never see them. There's 11.
And remember, San Francisco Bay is very populated.
Like there are boats out there every day.
There are people swimming out there every day like nobody ever

(25:39):
sees sharks. There is one video that went
viral probably 10 or so years ago where I think it was like an
Alcatraz ferry. I'm not sure if it was a fishing
boat or an Alcatraz ferry that was going out to Alcatraz.
And there is this video of a shark just coming up and like
biting a seal. I think like right on, like
outside of Alcatraz. But that is like the one video

(26:02):
that's out there. So that's how, you know, like,
yes, they are there, but they really don't bother people.
And again, like there are peopleswimming out there every day and
there's never been like any interaction, so.
OK. It's it's not, I won't like
understand people being scared of sharks.
Like I'm scared of sharks too. But it is not what I think about

(26:24):
when I'm out in the Bay in termsof things that I need to worry
about when I'm swimming like that is very low on the list.
So if anybody is like, I want toswim in the Bay, but I'm scared
of sharks, like, Oh my gosh, do not, do not be scared of sharks.
That's the least of your concerns, OK.
Good to know. Yes, but as far as like my
favorite swim in the Bay, that is such a hard question because

(26:47):
I I love swimming in the Bay. Like I have so many wonderful
swims aren't. There only like 3 yeah, so.
So there's some like particular routes.
So I've done bridge to bridge, which is where you swim from the
Golden Gate to the Bay Bridge. So that's really fun because
it's a tight assisted swim, so it's very fast.
So you swim with the flood, which is the incoming tide, so

(27:10):
it flows from the Golden Gate tothe Bay Bridge.
Nice. And so you're moving really,
really fast in the water and so that's a blast.
And you just kind of you swim kind of along the coastline.
So you get to see all of San Francisco pass by.
So that is a blast. I've also done round trip Angel
Island, which is definitely a beast of a swim.
So you start from, I started from Aquatic Park and then out

(27:33):
and around Angel Island and back.
And that was really a very fun swim because I did it with one
of my best buddies, Luca Potsy and with Pacific Swimco, who are
also like my friends and they piloted the swim.
So that was really fun. It was very challenging, but a
total blast. But I think maybe one of my
favorite moments in the Bay was just on a like random training

(27:56):
SIM. And I think we were kind of
between, I don't even, I think we're maybe like right off of
Alcatraz. And again, it was just a regular
training SIM with some of my buddies in our pilot boat.
And our pilots kind of stopped us.
And they were like, hey, like, like, look.
And we kind of all popped our heads up and stopped, Like
what's going on? And this whale, I'm not sure if

(28:19):
it was a humpback or if it was agreat whale, but it just kind of
like breached right there in front of us.
Like it had to have been maybe like 200 feet away, 300 feet
away. So it was like pretty close.
And we all just like, kind of stopped.
And we're just like what? Yeah.
So that's probably one of my favorites because I got to swim

(28:39):
with the whale. That's so cool, I got the.
Chills. Yeah, Yeah.
That's. Amazing.
Yeah, totally amazing. And, you know, it didn't bother
us. And I, I thought I might have
been before that experience, I was like, I don't know how I
feel about swimming with the whale.
That's like kind of scary. But it was so magical and I

(28:59):
didn't feel scared at all so. Aw, amazing.
It's like that movie Free Willy.Yes, although orcas, I don't
want to mess with them. Wait, yeah, those are a
different kind of whale. So you mentioned Alcatraz.
So that brings me to my last question in this section.
Here, yes. Alcatraz escapees.
We have Frank Morris and then brothers John and Clarence

(29:23):
Anglin. What do you think?
Do you think that they made it? You've swam those waters.
In fact, you've seen a whale andyou said that there are great
white sharks in the Bay and there's only one video of it.
But keep in mind back then they didn't have phones to take

(29:43):
videos. So.
What do you think? Do you think that these specific
Alcatraz escapees made it? Yeah.
So I think it's totally possiblewith the amount of planning that
they did. And I mean, I don't know if
you've ever been to Alcatraz Island and done that.
I think you have. Yeah.
Yeah. They have a really good
explanation of kind of what theydid and all the planning that

(30:04):
went into it. So I think that they totally
could have done it. OK.
They made a little lifeboat basically out of, I think it was
rain jackets. Yeah.
So they they had something to rest on.
So they weren't necessarily fully immersed in the water.
They also with the Bay, the tides are so strong.
So if they were able to time it with the tide, that was

(30:25):
favorable for them. They didn't have to do a lot of
swimming. They probably could have just
been in that little craft. And I think they had oars too.
So, you know, make sure they're kind of moving along in the
right direction. I think it's totally, totally
possible. And the other thing I'll say
like, and we could go into the nitty gritty of like, what were
the tides like on the night? And I don't know what the time

(30:48):
of year was. I forget.
So like, I don't know what the temperature of the water was,
but past the summers are probably doing an Alcatrazum in
about maybe 25 minutes. That would be like pretty fast.
I think the average swimmers doing it about like 45 slower
swimmers might be doing it in anhour.
So that's obviously with, you know, a a pilot who has read the
tides and how do you jump at, you know, an appropriate time.

(31:11):
But they had any swimming experience at all and they had a
craft and they were jumping at afavorable tide.
Like I think it's possible. I think it's possible.
OK, you heard it here first, people.
Alcatraz escapees probably made it out.
There was also one guy who actually did escape and actually
did swim across and made it and then he got found on the beach

(31:32):
because he was like hypothermic and exhausted and then they
caught him and brought him back.Oh my God, that would be me.
I'd be hypothermic, right? Just like, shivering there,
like, yeah, just bring me back. Just like, get me there.
No. Worth it?
So there you go, it can be done.Trivia Question 2 According to

(31:57):
Long swims.com, who holds the longest unassisted open water
swim, a Vicky Keith, B Lori King, or C Sarah Thomas?
The longest unassisted swim. Yes.
My brain, says Sarah Thomas. But the assisted thing would be

(32:20):
messes me up a little. I'm gonna say Sarah.
You're correct. Good job.
OK. I.
For some reason, I was like, oh,Lauren's totally gonna get this
one because we're on this website.
Oh yeah. Yeah.
So, so the longest unassisted, so the only well, yeah.
So the word assisted is like I said, that's kind of where it

(32:42):
gets me is because basically on assisted swim means like that
could be with like heavy tides or it could be with maybe you
stopped at some point and or like somebody touched you with
like unassisted. You're not allowed to, you have
to go from like shore to shore. You're not allowed to have
anybody touch you at all. Like you can't rest at all.

(33:03):
You can't get on a boat, that sort of thing.
So sometimes there are really long swims where there are maybe
small assists along the way. And so you just have to mark
your swim as unassisted. So that can change things.
But yes, I'm glad I got it right.
Yeah, good job. That's why I chose unassisted
because I was like, OK, that's definitely more impressive than
assisted. And also that's like the, that's

(33:24):
the swim that they put on their website.
First thing, basically in August2022, Sarah Thomas completed the
loop in Lake Champlain, which touches Vermont and also New
York, the state. And this was a total of
staggering 168.3 kilometers, which is 104.6 miles.

(33:45):
And Lauren was also mentioning unassisted versus assist.
There's very clear definitions here.
And under the Marathon Swimmers Federation rules, unassisted
means without artificial assistance to performance other
than the standard equipment of the sport.
And standard equipment of the sport is exactly what you think
it is. Swimsuit cap and goggles.

(34:08):
No wet suit. No wet suit.
Yes, yes, no wet suit. Yeah, and also like Lauren said,
no touching the boat or another person.
So to wrap up Sarah's swim here,Sarah Thomas swim for 67 hours
and 16 minutes. So that's nearly three days
non-stop. It wasn't fresh water, but
apparently she did have some, you know, choppy weather, some

(34:29):
hallucinations, of course, body fatigue and of course, cold.
So that's the longest swim according to long swims.com.
So, Lauren, I'm sure you have some, you know, fave, top fave,
favorite swimmers, famous swimmers.
Can you share a little bit more about them?
Yes, I can. I have to say, like I get so

(34:52):
inspired by people that I meet at the Dolphin Club in the South
End and like all my friends, youknow, when I see them do crazy
swim. So I have so many favorite
swimmers. But I'll talk about Lynn Cox
'cause I think she was one of the first famous swimmers that I
learned about really when I was just getting into the sport.
And she's so cool. She has lots of book or she has

(35:14):
a few books. Swimming to Antarctica was the
one that I read at the very beginning when I was getting
excited about open water swimming.
But Lynn is so amazing for so many reasons.
But she started swimming when she was really young.
I want to say she was like 14 years old when she started doing
like the English Channel and Catalina Channel.
And she was kind of part of a swimming club where there were a

(35:37):
few other younger swimmers that were kind of starting to do
that. Yeah.
And so and she was, you know, obviously very talented from the
start. And in her book, she has just so
many wonderful little stories. But she also, yeah, swam in
Antarctica and also swam to Russia in from Alaska to Russia
to the Bering Strait during like, height of Cold War

(36:00):
tension. So that was also a huge thing.
And she kind of meant it as thisbringing together of, you know,
the people, you know, let's ignore what our governments are
doing, but let's bring people together.
And so she has a wonderful storyabout that.
So I really admire her and not just all the things that she had

(36:20):
to overcome and being a young swimmer and being a female
swimmer at that time, but also just the way that she's used her
swimming. And she also has another
wonderful book called Grayson, which I remember actually
reading as a kid before I knew anything about open water
swimming, where she just tells this very short story about how

(36:40):
she was swimming one day, I think it was in Santa Barbara,
and this baby whale just startedfollowing her.
And she had to swim with this baby whale 'cause it became
attached to her and she meant toswim for like a few hours.
And she ended up swimming for a far longer time 'cause she
didn't want to leave this baby whale.
And she actually stayed with that baby until it reunited with

(37:01):
its mother. And it's just this magical,
magical, true story. Oh my.
God, yeah. So Grayson by Lynn Cox.
I highly recommend it. It'll take you like an hour or
two to read. It's it's a short little.
Oh that's, that's so sweet. Have you ever met her?
Or have you ever had the chance to meet someone like her?
So I have not. She does come out to San.

(37:24):
I don't know where she lives, but she does come out to San
Francisco. I know she's talked at the
Dolphin Club. I think I missed it, or maybe it
was before I was a member. Yeah.
But she, she's just so cool. And I don't know if she is doing
like a lot of swims nowadays, but yeah, she's really, really
cool. So very much am a fan.
Antarctica. That is an epic swim.

(37:46):
Wow. Yeah.
Cold. Very cold.
And Lauren, you are no stranger to epic swims.
Can you share more about what was your most difficult swim and
what made it tough? Like conditions, distance,
wildlife, I'm sure many other things.
The question of like my favoriteswim is really hard to to answer

(38:07):
because I like, I love so many of my swims.
I love parts of so many of my swims.
But yeah, so probably one of theones I'm most proud of is my
Molokai to Oahu KED straight swim.
It's because I was so scared about swim leading up to it.
It is the longest one that I've ever done and had attempted.

(38:31):
And so it was about, it's about 30 miles, like 28 probably.
So it's gonna be long. And also it's really out in the
middle of the ocean. Like all of these are kind of in
the middle of the ocean. But it's different in terms of
like the English Channel and theNorth Channel.
Those are all in between two really large land masses.
Whereas the Kiwi Strait, it's between 2 little islands out in

(38:55):
the middle of the ocean, like the middle of nowhere.
So that kind of got to me a little bit.
And that, like, I really am alone out here in, you know, the
most isolated archipelago in theworld.
Yeah. And then the sharks, like there
are tiger sharks and also cookiecutter sharks, crazy jellyfish.
So yeah, there was just a lot that I was concerned about.

(39:19):
But when I, as soon as I got in the water, kind of all that fear
just really melted away. And what was so cool is that you
start swimming at night because of the wind.
I just started swimming and I got to experience the
bioluminescence. So every time I like took a
stroke like I this magical greenkind of just like appears and

(39:41):
it's really bright and glowy andit makes you feel like a wizard
or something. I mean, that's.
Kind of what it looks like. Like, you know, if you ever
watched a movie that has like magic, you know, there's like
sparks coming out of people's fingers with like literally what
it feels like and looks like. And the other awesome thing was
all the sounds. So you have like the clicking

(40:04):
and creaking? That might sound a little bit
creepy, but. To me, it was really like, Oh my
gosh, I'm like really in this ecosystem.
I'm a part of this ecosystem. And they're, I have so many.
I thought of them as friends. It's like there's so many
friends around me right now giving me company.
I don't know what they are. I can't see them because it's
pitch black, but like they're here and like, this is such a

(40:25):
beautiful ecosystem that I I getto share for the night.
Yeah. And so that was.
And again, like it's to some people, that might sound creepy,
but it really was actually very comforting in the moment.
Yeah. I get it.
I get it. Like I feel like especially in
Hawaii, the the sounds, the bioluminescence, the warm water,

(40:46):
like I don't even know if I'm like, we're supposed to say this
like term, but like that makes me think of like amakua.
Which is like. This like spiritual, like past
ancestors or like this the spirits like you see them in in
your everyday life, like throughthe sounds or the
bioluminescence or the feeling the air like they were helping

(41:09):
to like guide you through your swim.
That's beautiful. Yeah.
That's really what it felt like.Yeah.
Yeah. So.
So that's probably one of my favorite overall swims or
experiences that I've had, even though it was arguably the most
difficult swim as well, so. So you mentioned cookie cutter
sharks and then you just quicklymoved on from that.

(41:29):
Can you please explain to peoplewhat the hell are cookie cutter
sharks? Yeah, they're menaces.
Okay, so a cookie cutter shark is not very large.
They almost just look like fish.They're probably about a foot,
maybe 2 feet long. They are normally deep sea
sharks, but they have been and Ithink, you know, it's a climate

(41:52):
change thing. They have been coming up to the
surface more and their mouths, and This is why they get the
name cookie cutter. Their mouths are like in the
shape of a perfect circle basically.
And it's totally serrated. So think of like a perfect
circle mouth completely surrounded by teeth.
When they bite, they take like this melon baller chunk out of

(42:16):
whatever they're biting. The flesh so.
It looks like a perfect circle that's just been like cut out of
you. So yeah, like you'll find you
can if you type in cookie cuttershark.
Probably the first image that comes up is like a dolphin or
something that has like the circular shape.
Yeah, flesh whales. Too.
Yeah, whales. And so they're real menaces.

(42:36):
They have bitten swimmers. So a few years ago I think there
were like 4 bites over 1 summer and then actually this summer
there have been quite a few bites.
In Hawaii. Yeah, yeah.
Of Channel swimmers. So, yeah, very it is definitely
a concern. Luckily it it it seems like they

(42:58):
come to come in bursts. So yeah, it's like a season at a
time. Hopefully they're not becoming
more common. Hopefully this is kind of
another freak season. But yeah, I was definitely very
grateful that I came away on skates.
But yeah, there are a growing number of swimmers who have had
these bites. And it's basically they come up
out of nowhere. They bite a chunk out of you.

(43:20):
And as a swimmer, you're aware, you know what it what it was.
There's a a story of a swimmer who actually like, grabbed it
and just like, chucked it because they're so tiny.
And she was so mad because, you know, like, they're, they're a
series of bites that you, you need to get out like you're so
much done. Yeah.
Yeah, and, and luckily nobody has died.

(43:42):
But, you know, it's a certain type of thing where, OK, if they
bite you in the leg or if they bite you in many areas of your
body, it's really bad. You might need surgery, but
you're going to be OK, right. But you know, if they bite you
in the wrong place, it could be a really serious event.
So it's definitely a concern andit's scary, yeah.
But yeah, I'm very lucky to havenot had to deal.

(44:04):
With that, honestly, that would be on the back of my mind too.
Like, yeah, that's so scary. And also I did look up cookie
cutter sharks before this episode and what also comes up
are little cookie cutter shapes in the shape of a shark for when
you make cookies. But Oh my gosh.
These are real people, I promise, Lauren promises.

(44:27):
But yeah, that would totally be on the back of my mind.
That would scare me so much. And I've seen from from your
swims, you have a support team. Like, they're probably very
helpful, you know, keeping you going, keeping you motivated,
keeping the your spirits bright.And you mentioned earlier, you
know, your pilot boat. So I'm pretty sure that this is

(44:47):
what you're referring to. Yeah.
Could you tell me, like, who's on the boat?
How do they keep you going when it gets cold, dark and lonely
and. And what are their what are
their responsibilities on the boat?
Yeah, totally. So swimming, open water swimming
is definitely A-Team effort because even though there might
only be one person in the water,everybody that is there and is

(45:09):
present like has a very specificrole and is really important.
So basically for any of one of these swims, you'll hire a
pilot. So that will be the captain of
the boat and you'll have that boat and they'll maybe have a
crew member or two with them. And so basically what their job
is going to be as to, of course,drive the boat that you will be
swimming next to and they'll do all the tide calculations, so

(45:32):
deciding when you should jump, what time you should jump, and
also all the GPS. So I think a lot of people
think, oh, I just like swam across the English Channel and
the boat followed me, but that'snot actually the case.
The boat is actually right next to me and I align my body with
the boat. So the boat can't lead you
because they can't pace you. That would be against the rules.
But you're basically aligning your body so that they get you

(45:55):
in the right direction to. The boat, right, Yes, parallel
to the boat and so you know if Isee.
The bow, you know, move right orleft.
I kind of adjust my body so I stay parallel.
So that's the pilot boat. And they're also the bosses.
So if your captain or your pilottells you to do something, you
do it without question because they, they have, you know, your
safety in mind. And that's always, you know, the

(46:15):
most important thing. And then a swimmer will also
bring along like their own little crew.
For me, that is typically my fiance and my dad.
They're kind of my, my 2 mains. I've had some other people also
come on the boats. I've had my uncle, I've had my
sister. Yeah.
So their job is to feed me every30 minutes.
So we call them feeds. Most swimmers do like every 30

(46:39):
to 45 minute minute feeds. Basically it's mostly liquid.
Sometimes I'll have like goose. If you're, if you're a marathon
runner, you might know what a goo is.
Or just like small snacks that are really easy to eat and you
can eat quickly and they'll basically throw it in connected
to a rope and I will grab it, I will drink it and then I will

(46:59):
throw it back and keep swimming.So I try and keep feeds like
under 30 seconds, you know, as the swim gets a little bit
longer, if I'm eating a solid, sometimes it can go up to a
minute. But we try and keep them really
fast 'cause you know, if you're doing a 21 mile swim, let's say
I'm swimming at two mile hour pace, like that's like maybe 10

(47:20):
hours of actual swimming. But then once you add in those
feeds, if you're feeding twice an hour, like all of a sudden
that's a lot. You know, if you're taking a
minute, that's twenty extra minutes that you're in the
water. So it really does add up.
How much is why you want to keepyour feeds really, really quick?
So yeah, they are not breaks, they are eat and go and at the

(47:42):
same time you are. Treading water.
So yes, not a break for for somepeople, Lauren, treading water
is really hard. OK, I know, I know.
OK, so my water pool background definitely helps in this.
Like treading waters, like walking.
Yeah, any water pool player willknow that.
But yeah, so you're not allowed to hang on to a boat or
anything. You're not allowed to hang on to

(48:02):
anybody. So yeah, you're definitely
treading water that whole time. Yeah.
And also during that time, like,you're getting messages.
So, you know, my crew knows, like, it should always be
positive. So like cheering, like you're
doing great no matter what's going, even if it's not going
great, I'm not swimming great. Like it's always, you're doing

(48:23):
great. This is awesome.
Like, keep it up, keep going. Yeah.
And, you know, sometimes little updates about like conditions or
whatever, or, you know, the wind, wind's coming in or the
wind should be dying down soon, like, so get excited, things
like that. For the most part.
I think a general rule of thumb for many swimmers is though,
like they shouldn't tell you howfar you are or how much you have

(48:44):
left. Interesting.
OK. And some people, everybody's
different. But typically they, you know, I
think it's a good idea for your crew to kind of keep that to
themselves because things can change.
You never know. And you really don't want to
make promises to a swimmer that like, hey, you only have like 2
hours left and then something happens and it's going to be

(49:05):
longer. It's really hard mentally for a
swimmer to make that adjustment.So for sure just you're doing
great. Keep going like everything's
going to plan. Keep going.
That is usually the the best message you can get.
Yes, when life get you down, youknow what you got to do.
I don't want to know what you got to do.
Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming.
Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming.
What do we do? We swim, swim.

(49:27):
Dorino singing Do I love? To swimming during when you want
to swim. I'm going to get stuck now with
that song. Now it's.
In my head, sorry. OK.
Lauren, last question for this section, that's.
Kind of ties into what you just said, You know, it's mentally
very taxing, obviously very physically challenging as well.

(49:50):
So how do you mentally and physically prepare for a long
distance open water swim? Yeah, and I'm sure everybody
does it. Differently visualizing is
really, really important to me. So, and if you've never tried
visualizing before, you should do it.
Like the idea of visualizing is you literally visualize the task
in front of you before you're actually gonna do it.

(50:11):
So maybe you have a good job interview, you know, maybe a few
nights before you can, before you go to sleep, kind of lay
down, close your eyes and just imagine the interview and think
about all the things that are gonna happen.
Like what are you gonna be wearing?
How are you gonna walk in? What are you going to say when
you like shake their hands? How is that going to go?
And so you really visualize all the tiny components.

(50:33):
And the idea is that then when you go to actually do the task,
you've already done it once before in your brain.
And so now you have experience actually.
And so I, you know, in swimming,it's just something that my, my
water pool and swim coach actually taught me when I was in
high school. And it's something that I
brought into awe. So it's of my life, but with
open water swimming, I spend months visualizing and it's

(50:57):
often in the car. Like on my way to work, I will,
you know, choose something that I'm going to visualize.
And that's what I think about, you know, while I'm driving.
And, you know, it could be anything like it could be
finishing. That's the most fun to
visualize. Yeah.
But it could be starting. It could be the most helpful, I
think is being in the middle of the channel and maybe

(51:17):
something's gone wrong or like, you know, the tightest pushing
really hard or the swells are really large.
Like what are you going to be thinking to yourself?
How is it going to feel? What are you going to tell
yourself in that moment? And so that's really, really
important for me. It's as important as the
physical training. So I do spend a lot of months
just really, really almost like fixating on the swim itself and

(51:39):
and thinking a lot about it seems like a sort of.
Visual manifestation. But at the same time, what I
noticed from what you just said,it's like it's not only positive
things that you're visualizing, you're also visualizing
potential things that could go wrong, which is so important
because, you know, sometimes that's inevitable.

(52:01):
Things will go wrong. They always do, yeah.
Yep, exactly. And and those are more important
than any of the positive things.The positive things can get you
motivated to go and do your workout.
But yeah, visualizing the negative things and how you're
going to overcome them, that is really the work for sure.
Did you want to touch a little bit on like the?
Physically, preparing physicallyfor that, sure.

(52:22):
Yeah, yeah, yeah. So typically.
Like my training regimen is because I, I live in San
Francisco, but I do work down South Down the peninsula.
So I'm not really able to do a lot of Bay swimming during the
week. So usually I'm in the pool
during the week before or after work.
You know, I try and do that likefour days a week and then both

(52:44):
weekend days, Saturday and Sunday and typically doing long
swims in the Bay. So those long swims, depending
on where I am in my training, can range from 2 hours to five
hours. I'll do anything beyond five
hours I typically do with like apilot.
And you know, we'll actually. Go out in the Bay and do. 6810

(53:04):
hour swims maybe. So those are definitely like the
longer and I'll only do a few ofthose depending on what I'm
training for. But yeah, I, I am probably on
the lower end in terms of like swim yardage for the swims I do.
For some people, they need more,they feel more confident with
more. I personally, I got to live my

(53:26):
life. I, you know, I have a demanding
job and I also need sleep and I also want to spend time with the
people I love and I also coach. So I technically have like 2
jobs. Yeah, so.
I. I really at this point know my
body. I know what I need to to be
prepared for a swim. And so I'm going to follow that.

(53:46):
And if I don't feel like my bodyis ready to do something on that
day, even if it says it on my little spreadsheet that I should
be doing that yardage for that day, I list my body and I make
sure that I keep the the training fun.
And it shouldn't be a chore. And because once it becomes a
chore, it's like, well, why are you doing it?
Because I'm not getting paid forthis.

(54:07):
I'd like, this isn't my job. I do this for fun.
And it should be something that is healthy for me, for my body
and my brain. And if it's becoming unhealthy,
then we probably shouldn't be doing it.
Yeah. So yeah, I think.
I you know, I do train. Really hard.
There's a lot of hours. But I also err on the side of
like, you know what, It's probably going to be OK if you

(54:28):
don't get this, you know, 10,000you're if you're 10,000 short
this week, like it's, it's probably gonna be OK.
You're probably still gonna finish your swim.
So yeah, that's, that's kind of how I go about it.
I love it. OK, so mentally.
Visualizations, physically, there's a spreadsheet involved.
Listen to your body. And then also a mix between

(54:50):
mentally and physically is have fun.
At the end of the day, you're doing this for fun.
You're doing this for yourself. I love that.
Cool. Well, not.
Sure how to segue into this nextsection, but basically we're
gonna talk about jellyfish. OK, Section 3 things.

(55:14):
That sting Trivia Question 3 Myth or fact The best remedy for
a jellyfish sting is to pee on it.
OK, that's a myth. Yep.
I Well, OK, so there's all thoseTV shows, whatever of like, oh,
get somebody else to pee on it, which is definitely bad.

(55:37):
I have heard that like, potentially your own pee could
be helpful. What?
Like, Yeah. And I don't even really
remember. I'm a biology teacher, so I
should probably know this, but Idon't really remember what it
had to do with that, like it being your own pee.
But I'm pretty sure in general that is a myth.
You're correct, it is a myth according.

(55:57):
To the Cleveland Clinic so jellyfish tentacles are lined
with nematosis, which are tiny harpoon like cells that inject
venom when triggered. Even detached tentacles can
sting, and rubbing or rinsing with freshwater or pee may
trigger more stingers to fire. So here's.

(56:19):
What the Cleveland Clinic says. To do if you actually get stung
1. Get out of the water to avoid
more stings or panic related injuries 2.
Rinse with vinegar. Which is an acetic acidic acid.
This neutralizes most jellyfish venom but not all species.

(56:41):
Box jellyfish do require anti venom. 3 Use tweezers or a sharp
edge like a credit card to gently remove visible tentacles.
And four, you can soak or rinse the area in hot sort of hot
warmish water, like 104 to 113°Fto reduce the pain and

(57:02):
inactivate the toxins. But by all means, avoid peeing
on it and rubbing with sand or rinsing with fresh water or even
applying alcohol. That one was surprising to me
because you'd think when you gethurt, injured, you want to clean
it with alcohol. Don't do that with a jellyfish

(57:24):
sting. Oh gosh, yeah, I can imagine the
burn. Of that, yeah.
Two more things about this. Fun fact, box jellyfish found in
Australia and Hawaii can be deadly.
I guess that's not a very fun fact.
That's a scary fact, but most stings in the US, including from
moon jellies and Portuguese Manowar Manowar are painful but

(57:48):
thankfully not life threatening.And obviously open water
swimmers are frequently stung during long swims.
And we have Lauren here to tell us her tales.
I think there are jellyfish in English Channel and also Molokai
channel. Lauren, if it's not too
traumatic, can you tell us any story?

(58:09):
That you have about being. Stung by a jellyfish?
Yes. Yes, Yeah, I have a.
Few. Luckily I've been, yeah, I've
been pretty lucky with jellyfish.
The other kind of factor in there is if you're an open water
storm, right, you should just assume that you're going to get
stung at some point, whether it's like a bad sting or, you
know, just like a small thing like you're swimming for long

(58:32):
periods of time in the ocean on the surface of the water where
they are. So you will get stuck.
That's just kind of a fact. It's also the a large component
is how you react. And of course that's your
biology. You can't change that.
I think that I react fairly well.
I don't have a big like allergicreaction to them, so very, very

(58:54):
lucky. But there are other people, you
know, where they can get stung once by something and it causes
a big reaction and can be dangerous.
So that also kind of depends on who you are.
It's also something that you probably don't know about
yourself until you get stung. So probably that's the best
thing to figure out when you're like, in the middle of the
ocean, that you're really allergic to something.

(59:14):
Yeah. So.
So some stories. My first, well actually one of
my favorite jellyfish stories inSan Francisco Bay.
There are jellyfish, yes, but they are, there are some
different types. They're not super common like if
you're swimming in the Bay year round, you probably won't run
into a ton of large ones. But there are these like really,

(59:35):
really tiny ones and I'm forgetting what they're called,
but they're clear they're, you know, really tiny like maybe
like 5 of them could fit in the palm of your hand.
Let me look it up and they're. Yeah.
You should I'm. Just blanking on the name, but
they do get in your suit sometimes, especially if you're
a woman and you, you know, have maybe a larger chest and so have

(59:56):
a little opening in your swimsuit kind of at the top.
So when you're swimming along and they do go down your
swimsuit in the chest area. And then they don't really sting
you unless they get like stuck up against your skin.
So that's what happens to me is sometimes they'll go down my
suit and then get stuck like against my stomach or my chest.

(01:00:18):
And then I starts to sting me and I'm like, and I have to like
go into my swimsuit and like pull them out.
So one time I, you know, I was swimming, I felt like I was
getting stung a little bit, but I was like, you know, whatever
they're, they're really not thatpainful.
It's more just kind of like a minor inconvenience.
But I was in the shower after, you know, I was like 4 hour swim

(01:00:40):
and then I got, I was like, yes.I'm in the shower.
And I pulled down my suit and a jellyfish just popped out and
fell onto the floor of the Chapel.
And there were other ladies in the shower, but we're all just
like, what? And we just started like dying
laughing. It's like what?
Like, what is this world that we're living in where we just

(01:01:02):
like, get in the shower and we're like dropping jellyfish
everywhere. Oh my God.
So that's like. Probably one of my favorite
little jellyfish. Stories.
But in terms of more painful ones, the Lion's mane and the
North Channel, so from Ireland, Scotland, those are definitely
painful. I got stung a few times there.
But the lion's mane, they have these really, really long, very

(01:01:26):
thin and like clear tentacles. So it's really hard to see them
in the water. You might see like kind of the
bulb of the jellyfish, but it's hard to avoid getting stung if
you're you're there. And then let's see in the Kaivi
straight. So Molokai, I did get stung by a
Portuguese man of war, I think, twice.

(01:01:46):
And that is the most painful sting I've ever had.
Definitely more painful than lions made.
Yeah. And it was in the middle of the
night, so it was dark. I couldn't see it.
And I kind of ran into it with my hand and so I could feel the
reason why I knew it was a Portuguese is 'cause I could
feel the kind of like, it almostfeels like a plastic bag on the

(01:02:08):
top. So if you don't know what a
Portuguese looks like, it's thiskind of like blue, kind of
inflated kind of old baggy that like floats on the surface of
the water and then the tentaclesare below.
The thing about cool thing aboutPortuguese, they're actually
multiple organisms. So when you look at a Portuguese
man of war, it's not just one organ, it's actually multiple

(01:02:28):
different animals that make up this jellyfish contraption.
Super cool. Yeah, they're very weird.
But. I kind of like felt that bag and
was like, oh crap, and then, youknow, it like went up and around
my arm and really wrapped all over my arm and I definitely
like stop and was like fuck my like my crew was like.

(01:02:51):
Are you OK? And I was like, yeah, just give
me a second. And just, I just start ripping
off the tentacles. And as I'm doing that, like my
fingertips are getting stung. And so I'm just like, oh, my
God. And it really the way I describe
like these types of like really intense jellyfish stings is
like, it feels like a bear or like a cat maybe like clawed you

(01:03:14):
and then just like stuck salt init.
Like that's like, it feels like some, like, it feels like you
have a wound on your arm, like an actual like scratch, which is
really weird sensation 'cause you look down and there's like,
you know, it's like some welts but there's no wound, but it
feels like it there should be. Yeah.
That one really stunk. I will say it just made me swim

(01:03:36):
faster because I was so, yeah, it was like I was so I had so
much adrenaline. I was like angry at it.
And, you know, it's jellyfish, whatever.
You can't be angry at a jellyfish for being a jellyfish.
But I was just angry and it hurt.
And so I just, like, started sprinting and picked up my pace.
So it was a little. It's helpful in a way.

(01:03:57):
But yeah, yeah. One of the more painful things I
would say on the topic of like, what to do when you get stung by
jellyfish, though. Like, you know, obviously I kept
swimming. I had hours more ahead of me and
that kind of does the trick. So just soaking in water is the

(01:04:17):
best things that you can. Do.
Yeah, yeah. And I, I, I think I got most of
like the Nematissis out when I was kind of ripping it off of
me. I think there are a few left in
there 'cause I did have kind of a scar there for a while.
It's mostly gone now. I can't really see it, but yeah.

(01:04:39):
Those are crazy. Stories I.
I was expecting at least one story.
I didn't expect to get like thatmany.
And I'm I'm traumatized for you.Like that seems horrible.
I would have lost my shit. I would have given up right then
and there. I wouldn't like pulling off the

(01:05:00):
jellyfish with your own hands and then getting stung with on
your hands. Yeah, that's a no go for me.
Not a fun time. Oh my God.
But at least it's good to. Know the I think they're called
the Vilela. Vilela, the clear little guys in
the Bay. I don't know what they're

(01:05:21):
called. But it's good to know.
That they aren't too, too painful.
Yeah, they really aren't. And.
Again, it's like, really, if youget, you know, get it stuck in
your suit and it's like pressed up against your, like, skin.
But if you're just swimming along, like, you'll bump into
them with your hands and they just kind of feel like you're
like, there's like this Jelly thing on your hand.
It doesn't hurt, though. So that's.

(01:05:43):
Yeah. So last summer.
I spent a lot of time with my family in Hawaii.
My cousins and I went to one of my little cousin's friend's
birthday party and there was this kid who had this crazy huge
jellyfish sting scar like up hisarm.
And this kid was like kind of weird about.
It like he was like. Look at my scar, like I got

(01:06:05):
stung by jellyfish and like you know how kids are weird.
So that made me think. I told the kid the story and
I'll tell on the podcast Now. My family there has a rule that
if you get stung by a jellyfish,you get a Jelly doughnut which
makes it worth it. I love.

(01:06:25):
That I love that. And I know you spent some a
good. Amount of time in Hawaii and
school over there. Did you encounter any jellyfish
over there or even during the Moloka'i swim?
Yeah, I did. Not just I, yeah, I went to, UH,
Manila for a year and totally loved that year.

(01:06:46):
And I don't, no, I don't think Ireally came up.
Definitely maybe like washed up on shore, but I definitely never
got stung. Just like while I was swimming
in the water. Yeah, yeah, the.
Yeah. Kiwi straight.
So Molokai to Oahu, that's wherethe the man of war sting
happened, of course. And then I also, so also on that
swim, I this is like a few hoursbefore the swim.

(01:07:07):
That or the sting that I just mentioned.
I did get stung in like the face.
So I don't know what it was. Yeah, I don't know if it was a
Portuguese. It definitely hurt like a
Portuguese, but I couldn't see what it was so I don't really
know. But it, I kind of ran into it
with my face and it got kind of like stuck on my lips a little
bit and even like in my tongue. And so I like it hurt pretty bad

(01:07:30):
'cause like I mean your lips arelike very sensitive like skin.
So that really hurt. And I, I did like tear them off
right away and I kind of like was scraping my tongue with my
teeth as I was swimming 'cause Iwas like, I really don't like,
what if I, like die of an allergic reaction 'cause my
tongue swells up. So I was kind of like worried
about that for a second. So it ended up it was totally

(01:07:51):
fine other than just being a little bit painful.
And I think whatever swelling ormarks there were were gone by
the time, you know, the sun roseor by the time I got out of the
water. So it wasn't too bad.
But yeah, I will never know what, what jellyfish got me
there 'cause I couldn't see it. I didn't feel it.
It might have even been because the other thing about jellyfish
is like, even if they're dead oreven if their tentacles are

(01:08:12):
like, disconnected from their body, like, they can still sting
you. So it might have been, yeah,
totally gross. But it might have been that sort
of thing where like, maybe it was just some tentacle parts,
Yeah, that I ran into, but who knows?
Well, all I know is. Lauren, is that you deserve a
good at least a dozen Jelly doughnuts?

(01:08:34):
Yeah, I'm going to. I'm going to go tell.
Everybody that and then they they can buy some Jelly.
Malasadas would be good too. Oh yes, delicious, obviously.
Jellyfish are scary as. Your stories have shown, but
curious to know, what other sea creatures are you worried about
when you're on a long swim? Was there ever something that

(01:08:54):
made you think like, yeah, I'm done, Get Me Out of the water?
Yes, I think this answer would. Surprise many, but it's actually
the sea lions and the harbor seals.
Oh, they're ruthless, aren't they?
They're, they're so, they're so adorable.
Yeah, especially harbor seals, like they're so cute and you
just want to squeeze them. But in the San Francisco Bay,

(01:09:17):
there have been quite a few bites by harbor seals and by
more like sea lions. Those are the scary ones.
So, and they're all across like Aquatic Park.
Like, you know, if you're from San Francisco, you've you've
seen, you know, the sea lions, harbor seals out there.
And so, yeah, that is the biggest wildlife concern when

(01:09:37):
I'm just training. So if you see a harbor seal or a
sea lion, you swim away. You don't make eye contact, you
don't look at it, you don't say anything.
You just swim away. They don't follow you.
Yep. Don't say anything because they
can understand you well. Mostly like there was.
There was 1 swimmer who I think it was this I can't remember.
It was a sea lion or harbor seal.

(01:09:57):
I want to say it was a sea lion,though.
That was, like getting aggressive with him.
And he started, you know, kind of went like the bare route of,
like, get big and make noise. Yeah.
But the sea lion is like. Nah.
Like, they're, they're not scared of you.
So that only made the sea lion more angry.
I think he ended up biting him. So.
So that's why I say like, don't say anything.

(01:10:18):
Don't look at them. Like, just ignore them and swim
away. Oh my God.
So yeah. And.
Of course, like I've had. I have never been bitten, thank
goodness, but I've definitely been bumped by harbor seals.
And for the most part, they're cute and they're friendly and
they just want to play with you.But yeah, there are some.
I mean, they have like kind of little sharp claws.

(01:10:38):
They can accidentally scratch you.
I know some people have had thatand they they do bite sometimes.
They're also, there's a connection to like, algae blooms
and them really seeing like toxins into the water.
And then it's called, like, domoic acid.
And that can actually kind of make, like, sea lions and harbor
sales go a little like, cuckoo and start acting weird and like,

(01:11:01):
and biting people. So there, there has been this,
like, growing connection betweenthose things in the San
Francisco Bay. It's good to know.
Yeah. So, so weird.
Answer. But yes, those are the ones I'm
I'm concerned about. I, you know, I wasn't expecting
that. At all?
I thought you're going to say sharks.
Yeah, yeah. But now.
That you mention it I I do. Remember, like in the past,

(01:11:22):
you've told some crazy stories about the seals and the sea lion
or, yeah, sea lions in the Bay. And they're huge.
Like they're and like aggressivecreatures with each other.
So I can only imagine, like, what they would do to a human if
they were pissed off. Yeah, definitely.
And very territorial like. If you're in an area where

(01:11:43):
they're fishing, like even if you're just trying to swim
through and you're like, I promise they don't want your
fish. They still are.
They won't believe you. Yeah, I had a sweat so much time
with my buddy and we were out byFort Mason.
So a, a common like just training swim that we'll do is
from Aquatic Park and kind of along the shore out to Fort

(01:12:05):
Mason and back. And so we were out at Fort
Mason, right at that last pier right before like Gas House
Cove, if you know of that, a lotof boats get moored there.
We got there and we're kind of like sitting there.
Like just I say sitting. We were treading water there and
chatting. And then we're like, OK, like,
let's start swimming. And so we started swimming back

(01:12:25):
towards Aquatic Park. And all of a sudden the sea
lions popped up kind of like kind of like blocking our way.
And we're like, oh, crap. So we're like, OK, let's wait a
little bit. So we kind of swim back to the
edge of Fort Mason. And then we tried again and they
popped up again and we're like, OK, they clearly do not want us
to cross, but we gotta get home.So what we ended up doing was

(01:12:46):
actually swimming in towards thePiers there.
And they're like, they're three,like kind of Fort Mason Piers.
And we ended up going under the Piers and swimming under those
just to get away from the sea lions.
And that worked and we made our escape.
But yeah, that's how much like, you really don't wanna mess with
them or get in their way. Yeah, wow, Very good to know.

(01:13:08):
For the next time I swim in the Bay, which will probably be
never. I don't know, maybe my next
birthday. Lena.
Oh God, Please, Lauren, don't make me do it you.
Know I'll do anything for someones birthday.
I'll give you a break. Maybe a few years.
So do you have any advice for aspiring?
Open water swimmers, yes. So I I would say.

(01:13:28):
My best advice is find somebody that is knowledgeable or has
like done some open water swimming in your era before.
So and if you don't know anybodypersonally, Instagram's a great
resource. You can always Instagram message
me. I'm happy to answer questions.
I've done that for people or youknow, honestly anybody that you
can find on on Instagram. I think people are really

(01:13:51):
willing to share information andtips just because you know, you
want to be safe. That's the most important thing
and making sure that you know the area that you're swimming
in. If you're in the ocean, like
what are the tides like? Because I promise that you're
not stronger than the ocean. So you really need to know what
the tides are doing so you don'taccidentally get into a sticky

(01:14:14):
situation. Knowing the water temperature
and going really slow is also really important, and I would
say start with less than you think you can do.
So if you think I could probablyswim for 30 minutes in this
water temp, start with 15. It might seem like a very short
amount of time, but if you've never done cold water swimming

(01:14:35):
before, you do not know how yourbody's going to react.
And there's this thing called after drop.
So basically once you get out ofthe water, you remove yourself
from that environment, your bodytemperature is going to continue
to drop. So what you don't want to do is
get super cold so that you have to get out, and then your body
continues to drop and then you get into a more serious

(01:14:57):
situation. So yeah, again, like start with
less. Than you think you can.
Do and then you can slowly buildup from there.
But if you can find somebody that's knowledgeable and can
maybe go out with you for your first time, I think that's even
better. Yeah, totally.
I love that and. Was there anything that stood
out to you during this conversation?
You got all the trivia questionsright, by the way.

(01:15:19):
I'm so happy with myself. Yeah, well, some of those like
some of those dates and like thethe brothel thing at the
beginning, I didn't really know a lot of that.
That was good to know. Yeah.
So and and I would say. I so I'll say.

(01:15:40):
This I'm on a little bit of a break right now from swimming.
I'm about to kind of get back into it and I but I took a year
off to to do other things and just talking about it has just
kind of like reminded me how much I love open water swimming
and I'm like, oh, I'm so excitedto get back into training soon
and and to do my next swim. So that's probably the best

(01:16:01):
thing that I got out of this is like just having an an audience
like you'd like ask questions and do research is so nice and
and gets me all excited about itagain.
So yeah. Oh, that's awesome.
Well, I know. When this comes out, people are
going to be so impressed and so interested and you're definitely
going to inspire some aspiring open water swimmers out there.

(01:16:22):
And I know you have a lot of interests and a lot of talents.
So if you were to guest again, what do you think you would want
to be quizzed on? This is such a good question.
I. Think it's gotta be Beyoncé.
I'm Beyoncé is on the mind because I'm going to Houston
this weekend to see Cowboy Carter.
So I am very, very excited. Yeah, I'm a huge.

(01:16:46):
Beyoncé fan. So if you want to do it on
Beyoncé episode, I don't know ifI get the trivia right, but
yeah, hey, I'm always down. I love music.
And her and Taylor Swift are friends, so of course they are.
Yes, they are a little Taylor. Swift in there.
Of course, of course. Yes, I'm so down and.
That's all I have for you. Do you have any final words for

(01:17:08):
the listeners? I don't know.
Thank you so much for having me.Again, it's like it's such an
honor to be able to talk about something that you're passionate
about. So thank you for for giving me
that opportunity. I would say like water is so
healing. So even if you're not a big
swimmer, finding some sort of water, even if it's your bathtub
or it's, you know, going for a dip in the pool or going in the

(01:17:30):
lake or going in the ocean, I really encourage people if
you're to do that because I think it really is a healing
environment. Thank you for listening to the
show. This is trivia.
Tangents where we cover various trivia topics.

(01:17:51):
We have new episodes released every Thursday, which I like to
call Trivia Thursday. I'm Lena and special thanks to
our guest Lauren for sharing herawesome insights and trivia
tangents about long distance open water swimming with us.
Make sure to keep an eye out fornext week's episode all about
Lagree Pilates. Thanks for listening and
learning. If you enjoyed this episode,

(01:18:25):
please give. Us a five star rating or thumbs
up. Follow or subscribe and share
with a friend for bonus content.You can find trivia tangents on
TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and of course all podcasts platforms
under Trivia Tangents podcast. Check out our website at
triviatangentspodcast.com to purchase trivia starter packs
based on these episodes, perfectfor hosting your very own trivia
night.

All Episodes

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

Dateline NBC

Stuff You Should Know

.css-15opob5{left:0;position:absolute;top:0.8rem;} All Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}The Summer I Swam Pretty: Everything You Didn’t Know About Marathon Swimming

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

Dateline NBC

Stuff You Should Know

All Episodes

The Summer I Swam Pretty: Everything You Didn’t Know About Marathon Swimming

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang