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The Great Swim (2008)

by Gavin Mortimer(Favorite Author)

3.9 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0802715958 (ISBN13: 9780802715951)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Walker & Company

review 1: Very interesting report of the women who swam (or attempted to swim) the English Channel in the summer of 1926, including details of the events prior to and following the swim - training, news publicity, backing, post-swim rewards, etc. I would've liked to have felt like I knew the swimmers a little bit better as people - their feelings, etc. Also, sometimes I got a little bogged down with the rivalries between newspapers and coaches. Otherwise, a very good read.
review 2: Interesting book about the race for the first woman to swim the English Channel in 1926. Slowed down in spots but still very interesting to read about everything that went into training and the stamina required to perform such a feat. Forget the whole "wait 45 minutes after eating to swim" ... morerule. When in the water for 20 + hours you bring food along. Other obstacles to overcome include, schools of jellyfish/sharks, large ships ignoring the signal from the swimmer's support boat to stay clear of you and storms sweeping in during the middle of the grueling journey across. Not only did a woman swim the channel but she shattered the existing record by 2 hours! Fun to see how this accomplishment changed perspectives about the "weaker sex" and what they were capable of. less

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