BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Former Western Kentucky University swimmer Mallory Mead (Cook) recently became just the 39th person in the world to complete the triple crown of open water swimming.
With the completion of a swim of the 21-mile Catalina Channel off the coast of Los Angeles on August 10, Mead joined an elite group. The Plymonth, Ind., native completed the swim in 8 hours and 36 minutes, most of which was completed overnight.
"It is fun to watch Mallory find her niche in the world of swimming," WKU swimming coach Bruce Marchionda said. "To continue her swimming career after Western Kentucky University is awesome. It seems the longer the distance, the better she gets. To be the 39th person in the world to complete the triple crown of open water swimming is an amazing accomplishment for Mallory."
Mead swam the 21-mile English Channel in July of 2008 and the 28.5-mile Manhattan Island Marathon swim in July of 2004, accounting for the other two events in the triple crown.
The Catalina Channel and the English Channel also count for two of seven swims in Mead's next goal, completing the Ocean's Seven.
Next up for Mead is the Moloka'i Channel in Hawaii and the Strait of Gibraltar between Spain and Morocco sometime in 2011.
Open water swimming takes place in outdoor bodies of water such as open oceans, bays, lakes, rivers, canals, reservoirs, etc., and became an Olympic sport in 2008.
