Notre Dame grad conquers English Channel

July 31--SOUTH BEND -- A long-time South Bend resident on Wednesday became a member of the elite group of swimmers who have successfully crossed the English Channel.

Sara Marley, 46, a sports editor at Bloomberg News in London, completed the feat in 13 hours and 50 minutes. Fewer than 1,500 individuals have accomplished that swim. She set off from Dover in United Kingdom at 1 p.m. BST Tuesday and reached the beaches of Sangatte, France, at 5 a.m. CEST Wednesday. This was her first attempt at swimming the Channel.

The 21-mile saltwater swim was one Marley believed she could complete, although she has not taken part in competitive swimming since the age of 8.

Marley said she learned to swim at the South Bend YMCA and was a lifeguard there, as well as at Camp Millhouse and the East Race Waterway.

A South Bend resident for much of her life, Marley graduated from St. Joseph Grade School and Saint Joseph High School. She went on to major in English and German at the University Notre Dame, and graduated from there in 1990.

Her parents, Jerry and Margaret Marley, still live in the Cedar Street home their daughter grew up in. Mr. Marley is a ND engineering professor emeritus.

Sara Marley started at Bloomberg News in 1995 as a German-speaking insurance reporter and relocated to London three years later.

"(Swimming) is just something I've always done for pleasure," Marley said via Skype. "I'm not super fast but I just discovered later in life this real knack for the distance swimming."

Marley said she has very much enjoyed taking "swimming holidays" where she has been able to swim in various European waters in places such as Greece, Turkey and Croatia.

Short of a two-hour nap, Marley hadn't rested before a 5:45 p.m. BST Skype interview Wednesday.

"I'm just buzzing with adrenaline," she said. "It's been really, really cool."

Marley swam front crawl for nearly 14 hours, and took only a 30-second-or-less "feed" every 45 minutes. Coach Tim Denyer would toss Marley a carbohydrate drink attached to a kick board and rope.

Marley also swam for a cause. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution does not receive any government funding, and is staffed by volunteers. RNLI has lifeboat stations all around the coasts of the United Kingdom and Ireland.

So far, she said she has raised nearly 1,500 pounds. Bloomberg has generously agreed to match Marley's donation. Donations are still coming in.

"It's great to see that it was even more worthwhile," she said.

Marley had not been part of any swim organizations or clubs until she joined London'sRed Top Swim three years ago. She trains with the group twice a week.

Red Top co-founder and head coach Tim Denyer is a former Channel swimmer and open-water specialist. Denyer rode in a boat alongside Marley and shouted out to her periodically as she swam.

Marley laughed that she did not think she would join Red Top at swimming the evening of her Channel crossing.

To practice for the channel swim, Marley practiced at Windermere, the largest lake in England, and Cape May, New Jersey. At Cape May, she said she swam 15 miles in about eight hours and 11 minutes.

"I just really like swimming," she cited her motivation for pursuing the channel.

"The more swimming I did, I realized it was within my capabilities so it's like why not? I really think I can do this," she said.

She said the Notre Dame victory march was one of the songs she repeatedly sang to herself while swimming.

"The average time is 14 hours, so I was happy to be among average Channel swimmers," she said.

After her swim, Marley and Denyer boarded the boat that accompanied her on her swim and traveled back to Dover.

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