July 28, 2026
Paige Haehlke
Just keep swimming: Sara Barbera ’93 P’23 P’25 attempts to cross the English Channel
On the longest day of the year at 4:20 a.m., Sara Barbera ’93 P’23 P’25 began swimming in the pitch-black, 57-degree water of the English Channel, leaving the White Cliffs of Dover behind her and swimming toward France.
A lifelong dream born from writing a research paper in fifth grade about Gertrude Ederle—the first woman to swim across the English Channel—Barbera attempted to do the same on June 21, 2026. While she was unable to complete the swim, the attempt left her with more drive than ever to one day achieve her goal.
“I remember saying to my mom when I wrote that report, ‘I'm going to swim the English Channel someday,’” Barbera recalled. “I don't really have a bucket list—I have one thing on it, and it’s swimming the Channel. Not until I finish the swim will I be done with this.”
As Barbera prepared to retire several years ago, she knew that if she wanted to cross this swim off her list, now was the time. She began training in January of 2025 and swam 15 to 20 miles each week at her local YMCA in the winter and at a local lake in the summer near her home in Sharon, Massachusetts. In preparing for the swim, Barbera also had to put on weight in order to handle the cold water of the Channel.
“The good thing about being retired is that you can swim whenever you want!” Barbera said. “This gave me something to focus on, so I wasn’t just going through life without ambition or drive. That’s just not who I am.”
In October, Barbera participated in a week-long swim camp in the English Channel run by Kevin Murphy, who has swum the Channel a record 34 times—more than any other man in history.
"When I got back from the camp, I knew I could do it,” Barbera said. “I was never a long-distance swimmer—I was a sprinter in college—but I was successfully doing six-hour swims there.”
Making the attempt
Barbera’s window to attempt the Channel crossing was June 21 through June 30. As the third person in line for that timeframe, she assumed she wouldn't be swimming until a few days after her window opened.
But the night of June 20, she received a call telling her the first person had already swum, and the second person was stuck at Heathrow Airport. By the next morning at 3 a.m., she was on a boat headed to her starting point.
“I jumped in the water, and I thought I would be able to stand, but it was deeper than I thought, so I went all the way under,” Barbera explained. “Then I had to crawl up to the shore. At that point, it felt surreal. Even when I was on the boat, I was thinking, ‘Okay, and in 10 minutes, I’m going to be swimming in this. What the hell am I doing?’”
Though the water was a chilly 57 degrees, Barbera acclimated quickly. Guided by the boat that traveled alongside her for safety, Barbera swam through the shipping lanes, passing ships and watching jellyfish drift under the surface. Luckily, she avoided getting stung.
Barbera swam for four hours and a total of eight-and-a-half miles before her legs and hips froze, and the only power was coming from her arms.
“I kind of knew at that time with how my legs were, I wasn't going to make it. I knew I couldn’t swim 20 more miles with just my arms,” Barbera said. “I also got kind of freaked out; you’re in the middle of the ocean, there’s nowhere to go, and the waves are coming over your head.”
When it was time for Barbera’s next planned feeding break, she decided to stop swimming and get out of the water, riding in the safety boat back to shore.
While disappointed she didn’t finish, Barbera knows what went wrong and how to improve for her next attempt. Swimming several days earlier than expected caught her off guard, and she didn’t have the time she needed to stretch or do any visualization practices, all part of her standard protocol before swimming.
“I was so stunned that I was going and just wasn't able to process everything the way I wanted to,” Barbera said. “It is what it is, and the Channel's always going to be there. I was devastated, but so many people try two, three times before they make it. So, I'll keep going; it’s unfinished business.”
A Forester and swimmer for life
Recruited to Lake Forest College by former swim coach Skip Cook, Barbera’s experience as a student-athlete was foundational for the rest of her life, teaching her discipline, ambition, and dedication. Her time swimming at the College also gave her three best friends and former roommates: Beeni DeStefano ’94 P’26, Stacy Linehan ’93, and Molly O'Keefe ’94.
"It didn't matter what lane I was in as long as I got to swim,” Barbera explained. “Practicing together every day for so long unified the men’s and women’s swim teams. We were also good; we won all the time, so that made us really like it.”
Both a swimmer and soccer player at the College, Barbera has always had a competitive and ambitious spirit. As a swim coach for more than 20 years, she shares her wisdom with her swimmers, as well as her two daughters.
Her husband Colin Barbera ’91, P’23, P’25 and daughters—all fellow Foresters—inspired her to take on this challenge.
“I really think it's a story about being accountable to yourself, being responsible for your actions, and doing what you say you're going to do,” Barbera emphasized. “My daughters need to see that I'm going to do what I say I'm going to, and that's exactly how my husband is too.”
While making another attempt will take time, more training, and thoughtful consideration for the aspects of her life that were put on hold the past 18 months, Barbera isn’t giving up on her dream.
“I always knew I had this power in me, but I never thought that it would manifest itself in this way of crossing the Channel,” Barbera said. “Swimming has remained a large part of my life over the years, and now is the time to achieve my dream.”