$\"becca-mann-usa\"$

Photo Courtesy: Becca Mann<\/p><\/div>\n

Mann\u2019s love for open water started before she can even remember. She started her career by swimming in one mile open water races. But as soon as she realized there were longer distances, she demanded to be entered. She swam her first 10K at only seven years old. Mann tells the story of her experience:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy parents agreed on the condition that my 9-year-old sister accompany and take care of me. Our mom told us to hold hands across the finish line. My sister was thrilled. I spent the whole three-plus-hour swim drafting off of her, and she\u2019d stop every 20 minutes to make sure I was okay, feeding, etc. With about 100 meters to go, I sprinted past her, ran up to the finish shoot, and touched the pad first. Let\u2019s just say that my sister still hasn\u2019t let it go.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Veering off Course<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Mann continued swimming open water throughout her career, feeling a comfort in the unknown more so than the black line of the pool.<\/span><\/p>\n
In 2011, at just thirteen years old, Mann was one of the youngest swimmers to qualify for Olympic Trials (both in open water and in the pool). She achieved fifth place finishes in both the 400 IM and 800 freestyle – an incredible feat at her age. When Mann missed her chance of making the 2012 Olympic Team by a few spots, she shifted her focus to open water training with the hopes of earning her first Olympic berth four years later. Unfortunately, she fell short again.<\/span><\/p>\n
With one chance left to reverse her heartbreak in 2016, Mann was determined to make the team in the pool. She completely devoted herself to swimming, training constantly with little rest and giving her all to accomplish her goal that seemed to be within reach. Mann was swimming faster than ever heading into 2016 Olympic Trials, and all factors were tilting in her favor. However, the level of passion and drive she felt with every training session unfortunately was too much for her body to handle. Shortly before the 2016 Trials, Mann suffered herniated disks in her back and greatly struggled to compete. Unfortunately, her dream of qualifying for the 2016 US Olympic Team slipped through her fingers just like the jellyfish.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
$\"\"$
Becca Mann gets in the zone before her race. Photo Courtesy: David Farr<\/p><\/div>\n
Although the dedication Mann had devoted to her training did not lead to the anticipated results, she took some time away from the pool to focus on her ambitions outside of the pool. She has since returned to swimming with a renewed perspective. <\/span><\/p>\n
Indeed, Mann\u2019s experiences have enabled her to reflect on what she wants her career to represent.<\/span><\/p>\n
Sighting Her Goals<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Sometime between August 12 and 18 (depending on conditions), Mann will return to Hawaii in an attempt to swim the Maui Nui Triple Channel. This entails 64 kilometers from Maui to Molokai to Lanai, then back to Maui, lasting roughly fifteen to twenty hours. She will begin at sunset and swim through the night with hopes of finishing by sunset the next day. Although there have been attempts, no one has ever before completed the swim.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
$\"becca-mann-tri-swim\"$
Map of Becca Mann’s 64 Kilometer swim that will take her approximately 15-20 hours. Photo Courtesy: Becca Mann<\/p><\/div>\n
Mann is no stranger to Hawaii’s waters<\/span>. At age ten, she swam the <\/span>Maui Channel<\/span> – a nearly 10 mile trek from Maui to Lanai. She first had the idea to attempt this swim after layovers in the Honolulu airport. As a little girl, she would gaze at the list of names of people who had swum the Hawaii channels. She thought, “I’m going to have my name in there someday.” <\/span><\/p>\n
Although Mann jokes that she probably swam in place for most of the second half, many of her favorite swimming memories were created during this particular course. She was the youngest person to cross the channel, completing it in 6:46.26. A year later, Mann ran over to see her name at the bottom of the list – her smile shining brighter than the glow of the jellyfish below her. <\/span>Mann was also a member of the fastest all-female relay to complete the same channel swim last year. <\/span><\/p>\n
\n
\n
We beat the Women\u2019s Maui Channel Record by 11 minutes! 3 hours, 12 minutes \ud83d\udc4f\ud83c\udf89\ud83d\udcaa pic.twitter.com\/s3Rlw5D9No<\/a><\/p>\n
— Becca Mann (@becca__mann) September 2, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n