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‘Really, I'm going to make it?’

With a cruise ship in the background, Bethany Bosch, 29, makes her way across the English Channel on August 31.

Rutland’s Bethany Bosch swims 41 miles to France!hour
s

BY EVAN JOHNSON
French coast. seen some movie where somebody’s up to this. Did you receive any advice
WALLINGFORD, VT. — Bethany Bosch joins only about 1,500 oth-
mother swam the English Channel. from swimmers who had done it be-

Bosch became “initiated” in the world ers (500 of whom are women) who It was a small part of the movie, but fore?
of long distance swimming when a have successfully made the solo that was the first time I remember BB: There are a lot of people who
friend who was training for a triathlon journey with strong currents and cold thinking that people actually did this. helped me train for this and everything
asked her to complete the swim por- temperatures. The swim was her first But it wasn’t any kind of a reality until that I did before was leading up to it. I
tion with her. For a person who last long-distance international swim and the past couple years when I really swam with Charlotte Brynn in Stowe,

swam competitively with the Rutland is the latest on her already extensive started thinking I could do it, training Vt., she’s a tremendous resource and
Rec. Department as a child, the op- list of swimming accomplishments.
for it and realizing that I am a long dis- a fantastic swimmer herself; Ned
portunity got her back in the pool.
tance swimmer. I always had an ad- Dennison, who now lives in Ireland
“Once I jumped in the pool I start- Vermont Sports: How long had you venturous spirit as a kid and it was on and runs the Cork Distance League

ed to wonder how far I could go and I wanted to swim the English Channel my list of things to do in my life. I don’t (was also a help) as was the Kingdom
steadily increased my swimming un- and what was it that made it so com- think I always thought it was possible, Swim events, run by Phil White. Once
til one day I did 400 laps in the pool pelling?
but it was always a dream.
you get into the marathon-swimming
and thought, “maybe I should train for Bethany Bosch: As a child, I had
VS: Describe your training leading
world, there are so many people who
something,” she told Phyl Newbeck in are so talented and so generous with

her Reader Athlete Q/A with Vermont their talents. The person I consider
Sports last month.
my coach, David, is from Saratoga
Since then, Bosch, 29, has steadi- Springs, N.Y., and he was instrumen-
ly built a swimming resume that has tal in helping me improve my speed

brought her from Vermont’s North- and technique. Everything before the
east Kingdom to Tampa Bay, to Cork, Channel was in some way or another
Ireland, where she trained with re- a stepping stone to me getting in the
nowned water polo goalie and dis- Channel – long distance swims, salt

tance swimmer, Ned Denison, who water swims, night swims, coldwater
runs a distance swimming camp training – all of those kinds of things.
complete with frigid waters, stinging
jellyfish and traditional U.K. weather.
VS: When you arrived in England,
Bosch’s training and swims came you had already done your training

to a culmination on August 31, when and just had to wait for the optimal
she jumped into the water off of conditions for the swim. What was
Shakespeare Beach in England and that waiting period like?
started what would be a 17 hour and BB: I arrived in Dover on August 27
Bethany Bosch of Rutland, Vt., flashes a smile at the starting point in England before
34 minute crossing of the English and I wasn’t supposed to swim until heading to France on a 41-mile track.
Channel to a sandy beach on the
sometime on September 1, but they
Photos provided

12 VTSPORTS.COM
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014