Penny Dean stands tall in the sport as she was both a racer, world record holder and coach. She won races in Lake Windermere in England, Lake St-John and throughout Quebec, Canada and around Atlantic City in New Jersey. She was the 1979 World Professional Marathon Swimming Federation’s world champion and still holds the overall Catalina Channel record set in 1977, one of the oldest world records in aquatic sports. She set 12 overall world records in her illustrious career and was head coach for the USA national long distance team from 1984-1988.
Penny Dean is presently a Professor of Education and is most-deservedly recognized as one of the greatest marathon swimmers in history. She is an author of one of the best selling open water books and was president of the College Swimming Coaches Association of America from 1985 to 1987.
At her induction to the International Swimming Hall of Fame, Penny Dean was described as “…the tallest and proudest five-foot-two inch, 125 pound marathon swimmer the world has ever known. What the world did not know was that she swam her way to victory with no anterior artery blood supply to her left arm. She used the other part of her body for that - her guts.”
It is our pleasure to welcome Dr. Penny Dean to Open Water Wednesday.
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