Sarah Philpott

Things are impossible until they are not. Sarah Philpott is a shining example of this.

“I was a decent athlete but not elite,” she acknowledged. “Somehow, I was able to make a life-changing pivot in my forties, deciding to train for and then swim the English Channel in 2020 when I was 42. Now I’ve become the third woman and seventh person to ever swim the Original Triple Crown of Open-Water Swimming (the English, Bristol, and North Channels) and I want to swim more of the world's most dangerous channels and all with a good purpose; to raise awareness of ocean conservation and climate change, which is a seemingly impossible task, but one I have to take on!”

Prior to swimming the English Channel, Philpott had not swum for 15 years, nor did she grow up as a competitive swimmer. But living in the shadow of the iconic White Cliffs of Dover — the starting point of all English Channel swim attempts — she says she always knew that one day she wanted to try and one of the first places where she regularly swam was in the Manwood’s school pool.

Fast forward to the first COVID lockdown of 2020, which brought drastic changes for Sarah!

“The government allowed us outdoors for an hour a day of exercise,” she shared. “So, I slipped into the sea knowing that I wouldn’t get caught if I was outdoors for more than an hour. And I just swam for longer and longer each time I went. Within three months, I completed a six-hour swim in water that was 59°F (15°C), and so the Channel Swim coaches on the beach spotted me and encouraged me to take up the challenge.”