Berkeley, California, Resident
Is Now One of the Youngest in History to Complete the Triple Crown
of Open Water Swimming and Makes Waves to Fund Cancer Research
through Swim Across America
DOVER,
Del., July 15, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ --
Maya Merhige has done it again! The
16-year-old marathon swimmer has just successfully conquered the
English Channel (20.5 miles or 33 km), making her one of the
youngest swimmers in history to achieve the Triple Crown of Open
Water Swimming, which includes the English Channel, Catalina
Channel and Manhattan 20 Bridges
swims. Maya swam the English Channel in just 11 hours and 39
minutes on July 13, 2024. She
undertook the iconic English Channel swim and her other marathon
swims to make waves to fight cancer and raise funds for the
nonprofit Swim Across America, which funds innovative cancer
treatments and clinical trials.
"Maya's determination and grit are
astounding," said her mom, Liz Tung.
"Starting at age 9 with Swim Across America - San Francisco, Maya's passion for open water
swimming led her to earn the Triple Crown at just 16. We are
thrilled!"
Maya earned her stripes toward the Triple Crown and broke
swimming records in the past by completing the Catalina Channel and
Manhattan 20 Bridges swims. In
September 2021, at 14 years old, Maya
broke the record as the youngest woman in history to successfully
swim the 20-mile Catalina Channel, finishing in 10 hours and 48
minutes. In 2023, at 15 years old, Maya was one of the youngest
swimmers to successfully complete the 28.5-mile 20 Bridges swim
around Manhattan Island, which took her 8 hours and 43 minutes.
"We are beyond proud of Maya and her determination and grit to
swim these swims," said Maya's mom Liz
Tung. "We never imagined Maya, who was just nine years old
when she swam her first Swim Across America - San Francisco open water swim, would find such
a passion for open water swimming and take her swimming so far.
Earning the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming at just 16 years
old is just incredible! We are thrilled for her!"
Maya also holds the world record as the youngest woman to swim
the 21-mile length, 12-mile width, and 10.8-mile Vikingsholm
courses of Lake Tahoe, earning her the Tahoe Triple Crown. She also
became the youngest swimmer in the world to successfully swim the
grueling 26-mile Kaiwi Molokai Channel, between the Hawaiian
Islands of Molokai and
Oahu, which she completed in 27
hrs and 33 mins. She also holds a record for the longest duration
and joined the ranks of the "24-Hour Club" with the 108th longest
non-stop open water swim in history.
"I'm so grateful and excited to have successfully swum the
English Channel and completed the Triple Crown of Open Water
Swimming," said Maya. "Swimming the English Channel this year was a
big goal of mine for many reasons. This year marks my ninth year
participating with Swim Across America. With the generous support
of family, friends and others, I have been able to raise an
incredible $100,000 to fight cancer,
which has gone directly to the Swim Across America San Francisco
beneficiary UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals. This past year, I've
also endured some health battles of my own, and my personal
experience has made me even more inspired and passionate about
supporting cancer research and treatments at UCSF Benioff
Children's Hospitals. I'm also going to be a senior in high school
this fall and next year will look very different for me as I will
leave home to start college. So this was the year to swim the
English Channel!"
Maya's own medical challenges began in March 2023, when after suffering a ski crash, a
benign tumor on her pancreas was discovered. Suffering from chronic
pain, surgeries and hospitalizations since, she has a newfound
empathy for pediatric cancer patients who endure endless procedures
and appointments. Despite these challenges, Maya remains
undeterred.
"Due to the pain I was experiencing earlier this year, I didn't
get to train as much as I would have liked leading up to the
English Channel swim," noted Maya. "These past six weeks, after
being in the hospital for 10 nights in May, I really had to kick my
training into gear. There were points while I was swimming the
Channel where I wanted to give up. I swam through schools of
jellyfish and had a lot of stomach pain, but I kept thinking that
this doesn't compare to what kids with cancer face. That helped me
find the strength to keep going."
Continues Maya, "The English Channel was cold and the current
was really strong. Whenever I stopped swimming to feed, I could
feel myself getting pulled backwards. I knew I had to keep swimming
hard, no matter how exhausted I was, in order to get past the tidal
current and land on the French shore at Cap Gris Nez. But I made
it!" After reaching shore and climbing the rocks to dry land, Maya
had one of her favorite meals - Chow Mein - waiting for her back on
the boat.
"I'm extremely grateful for my family and friends who have
supported me in this endeavor. My dad Chris
Merhige and friend Kelly
Gentry, who is also an accomplished English Channel swimmer,
were on the boat (the Sea Leopard) as my crew during the swim,
along with the boat captain Stuart
Gleeson, co-pilot Sean Marsh,
and observer Jon Miell. My mom
Liz Tung, sister Lucy, and extended
family were back in England
cheering me on. A big thank you to all of my friends and supporters
who followed my journey and sent words of encouragement that were
relayed to me while swimming. I'm exhausted, but very, very
happy!"
Maya's swimming journey began at just nine years old with the
Swim Across America – San
Francisco open water swim when she joined Team Susan
Survives!, for her dear family friend and three-time cancer
survivor Susan Helmrich. The
San Francisco swim raises funds
for pediatric cancer research, supporting the work of Dr.
Julie Saba and Dr. Robert Goldsby at UCSF Benioff Children's
Hospital, which has been a leader in pediatric cancer research and
treatment for decades, significantly increasing cure rates and
improving the future for thousands of patients worldwide. UCSF's
advances in treating leukemia and other cancers have contributed to
the overall five-year survival rate for childhood cancer rising to
nearly 85% today, up from 10% in the 1970s. Despite this progress,
childhood cancer is still a challenge and can have lasting effects
on patients and their families. UCSF continues to study these
long-term consequences. The partnership between Swim Across America
and UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital is essential for advancing
cancer research and care.
Maya is also serving her second year as president of the Swim
Across America - San Francisco Junior Advisory Board and her goal
has been to raise $35,000 this year
with the English Channel swim and the San
Francisco swim, which will bring the total she has been able
to raise to more than $125,000 for
Swim Across America to support cancer research for UCSF Benioff
Children's Hospitals.
"I'd especially like to thank Dr. Julie
Saba, director of the Swim Across America Research Lab at
UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, for her continued support
throughout my own health challenges. For that, I am forever
grateful and inspired to raise even more for Swim Across America
and UCSF through my swimming," noted Maya.
Maya also plans to participate in the Swim Across America -
San Francisco open water swim on
October 5, 2024, swimming with her
team Chasing Channels, made up of other Swim Across America - San
Francisco Junior Advisory Board members and Bay Area youth. One
tradition Maya has is to write the names of friends and family
members battling cancer on her swim cap. "I am honored to carry the
names of friends and family members affected by cancer on my cap,"
she added. "I'm going to keep swimming to raise awareness and funds
for fighting cancer until we have a cure."
To learn more about Maya swimming the English Channel and to
make a donation to Swim Across America, visit
swimacrossamerica.org/maya.
Swim Across America is a national organization and offers open
water and pool swims in 24 communities, from Boston Harbor to under
the Golden Gate Bridge. Founded in 1987, Swim Across America has
raised more than $100 million in the
fight against cancer. Funds raised by Swim Across America and its
grants have helped support the research and clinical trials for FDA
approved immunotherapy medicines, including Keytruda, Opdivo,
Yervoy and Tecentriq. Swim Across America is also a grant funder of
the successful clinical trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering that was
published in The New England Journal of Medicine and showed a 100
percent success rate in treating patients in a phase 2 clinical
trial for advanced rectal cancer with dostarlimab. Swim Across
America grants support more than 60 projects each year and there
are ten named Swim Across America Labs at major institutions.
More than 150 Olympians and marathon swimmers support Swim
Across America on a regular basis, including Kate Douglass, Michael
Phelps, Craig Beardsley,
Elizabeth Beisel, Missy Franklin, Ryan
Held, Gretchen Walsh,
Donna de Varona, Rowdy Gaines,
Janel Jorgensen McArdle,
Bobby Hackett, Ryan Lochte, Glenn
Mills, Cristina Teuscher and
many more.
Swim Across America, Inc. (SAA) raises money and awareness for
cancer research, prevention and treatment through swimming-related
events. With the help of volunteers, and Olympians, Swim Across
America is an innovator and leader in giving hope to those fighting
cancer. To learn more visit swimacrossamerica.org, Facebook
@SwimAcrossAmerica, and Instagram and Twitter @SAASwim.
Media Contact
Jeni Howard, Swim Across America,
1 203-273-4246, jeni.howard@swimacrossamerica.org,
http://www.swimacrossamerica.org
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SOURCE Swim Across America