Georgetown’s Maya Merhige completes grueling North Channel swim, strikes nearer to historical past

IRELAND (7News) — Georgetown University swimmer Maya Merhige continues to make historical past in open water.

The 18-year-old from Berkeley, California, efficiently accomplished the North Channel on July 8, swimming 21.4 miles from Ireland to Scotland in 12 hours, 19 minutes and 37 seconds. The crossing marks the fifth profitable leg of the celebrated Oceans Seven problem, thought-about the marathon swimming equal of mountaineering’s Seven Summits.

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Merhige spoke with 7News Sports’ Natalie Spala whereas recovering from the swim in Ireland.

“I was unable to move my arms really at all for the first three days,” Merhige admitted. “But I’m getting back into it, I’m getting there. Lots of sleeping, lots of hydrating and stretching.”

Merhige started her swim earlier than dawn in calm situations, earlier than battling one of many world’s most unforgiving stretches of open water. The North Channel is understood for its frigid temperatures, highly effective tides and lion’s mane jellyfish. Swimming in water temperatures within the mid-50s, Merhige fought by jellyfish stings, shoulder ache and fatigue earlier than touching the Scottish shoreline to finish the crossing.

“I like to tell people that open water swimming is 80% mental, 20% physical. It really is so much about how you can get your mind through those really hard moments when you don’t want to keep swimming,” Merhige stated. “For this swim, because I was so scared of it — there was so many things I was really fearing — it definitely required more working up to.”

Merhige described the swim itself as “shockingly wonderful.”

“I had been dreading it more than anything, and I was worried that I was going to be in a bad mood the entire time, and honestly, from the second I was in the water, I was so excited,” she added.

The accomplishment carried additional significance. It got here precisely one yr after Merhige underwent main surgical procedure following a collection of well being challenges that started when docs found a benign pancreatic tumor after a snowboarding accident in 2023.

“My first year at Georgetown, I spent a lot of time in the emergency room dealing with health issues. I spent six months not really being able to swim, and so that was the first time in my life that I haven’t been able to swim consistently. So, kind of feeling disconnected from my body, disconnected from all the things that I want to do and the strength that I like to feel and how confident I can feel in my physical abilities,” Merhige stated.

“Being able to come back a year later and do this swim and show myself that I still have the physical ability and the capability to do this — physically and mentally, honestly — to keep pushing myself to keep fighting and just go on and having dreams and pushing towards them,” she added.

Throughout the swim, Merhige carried the names of members of the family and mates affected by most cancers on her swim cap as a part of her fundraising efforts for Swim Across America. She first joined the nonprofit group at age 9 and has since raised greater than $172,000 to help most cancers analysis.

“As I’ve gotten older, I think that I’ve seen more and more people close to me deal with cancer,” Merhige stated. “Seeing people around me go through cancer and fight cancer, and also some people pass away from cancer, has made me even more dedicated to keep working.”

Merhige’s North Channel crossing is the fifth cease on her quest to finish the Oceans Seven. She beforehand conquered the Catalina Channel, Molokai Channel, English Channel and New Zealand’s Cook Strait. She is scheduled to aim the Strait of Gibraltar later this summer season earlier than focusing on Japan’s Tsugaru Strait in 2027. If she completes all seven crossings, Merhige may turn out to be the youngest particular person ever to complete the Oceans Seven problem, pending official ratification.

“I have about a year and a half to break that record, so I’m getting close,” she stated. “I would definitely say this swim has been one of my favorites, which I never thought I would say.”

The rising sophomore at Georgetown has already constructed a powerful marathon swimming résumé. She turned the youngest girl to swim throughout Lake Tahoe at 13, the youngest girl to cross the Catalina Channel at 14 and the youngest particular person to finish the Molokai Channel at 15.

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However, for Merhige the swims have at all times been about greater than setting data. Each crossing serves as one other alternative to boost consciousness and funding for most cancers analysis, honoring these whose names she carries together with her each mile by a few of the world’s most difficult waters.

“I think that it meant a lot to me more than other swims have, which has been really exciting,” Merhige stated. “To get to the point where I only have two swims left is huge.”