Jenny Smith, Extremely Extraordinaire

Jenny Smith of Tennessee just completed the four-day, four-stage SCAR Swim Challenge in Arizona.  She said of the 2022 World Open Water Swimming Event of the Year, "What an incredible event and awesome experience.  SCAR has been on my wishlist, and I am still reveling in it.  I cannot believe how Kent Nicholas and his swim support family pulls off such an enormous event, I am still in SCAR swim bliss."

While many of the marathon swimmers and channel swimmers thought the water was cold, Smith is an experienced, well-prepared extreme athlete.  "I was fortunate to have almost four weeks of cold water training right before SCAR, an informal swim camp with my Irish pod in Mallorca, and two weeks in Ireland, and Swimquest Channel and Long Distance week in Croatia.  

So I did not mind the cold, although it did take me quite awhile to warm up in Canyon Lake.  I was kind of slow (off my pace for sure), but I think I was conserving and concerned about endurance."

Smith is no stranger to extreme sports.  She previously completed one of the world's most difficult triathlons, the Enduroman Arch to Arc from London to Paris.

              Jenny Smith's triathlon course from London to Paris that took her 72 hours 26 minutes

The 49-year-old from Tennessee finished 19th overall in the 2023 SCAR Swim Challenge in a cumulative time 18 hours 15 minutes.  Her time across Saguaro Lake took her 4 hours 4 minutes on Day 1; Canyon Lake took 3 hours 59 minutes on Day 2, Apache Lake took her 6 hours 40 minutes on Day 3, and Roosevelt Lake took her 3 hours 30 minutes on Day 4.

Smith spoke of the challenges and experiences that she faces.

Q1. Mother, wife, teacher, instructor, coach, ultra extreme athlete...how do you do it?

Smith: I feel there is not enough time for all that I want to do. I have an urgency when I wake up, I cannot wait to see how the day will unfold.  I avoid trying to force society's rules on my life.  I think the labels of "mother," "athlete," "swimmer," "wife," "daughter," etc. restricts your identity.  I refuse to be limited by one identity, I am all. My connection to water and nature has taught me to expand, restore, and grow.  I practice meditation, pranayama, and yoga throughout my days to keep the connection.  In regards to training and competing, I never want it to harm my relationships with Will, Max, and Zane nor disrupt our time at home. I enjoy taking care of our home, cooking the meals, and creating a sacred space for us. I am constantly checking in and reevaluating the time away from home.  The important lesson for Max and Zane has been to do no harm and help when you can.  And this is how I try to live with Self Awareness and Presence. 

Q2. Can you give us a description of your typical weekday and a typical weekend?  From the time you wake up until the time you go to bed (if, in fact, you do sleep).

Smith.  Sleep is most important. It is our reset, our time to dream, and restore the body and mind.  I am very self-disciplined and ritualistic, I have daily and evening practices to encourage well-being and emotional stability. My scope of rituals range from what vitamins I take, music playing in our home, to what meals I consume, physical exercise to lighting incense etc.  I create balance because I've been practicing the same rituals for decades.  I do not have a typical day, of course work structures the day, but I am adaptable and if opportunity provides an option... like taking a walk with a dear friend in the woods or going for a bike ride in the foothills. I am off. I embrace spontaneity.

Q3. To complete the Enduroman Arch to Arc (the triathlon from London to Paris), what did you focus on in your training: the swimming, the running, the cycling, the logistics, keeping healthy?

Smith: Swimming the English Channel is the pinnacle of the race, and is where my Coach, Silas Cullen, and my Strength & Agility Coach, Cameron Russell focused on.  Fortunately, swimming the English Channel is my jam, I fell in love with the EC when I swam in 2017.  I framed the run as, "I get to do this and I am running to the Channel."  I train in the Tennessee River, and to stay safe I pull a stand up paddle board with two large buoys attached behind me.  I also swim upstream, as our river is dam controlled.  I have to drag a paddle board for safety, the boaters and tourism vessels are not friendly, hostile.  That is a risk I must assess, and when things do not feel right, I have bailed on swims.  I trained for the run in the woods, I spent hours hiking local mountains at all times.  It was magical and often scary, starting solo hikes before the sun rises with a headlamp on and protected and contained howling Red Wolves and yelping coyotes in the distance.  Our local forests & woods are integral to the health of our oceans, plankton are formed in the Tennessee Watershed from the decaying woods, pollen and dust.  So it is not lost on me how important it is to restrict the use of fertilization and pollution not only for our drinking water but for the vitality of our Oceans.  It is all connected.  I love being on a bike, I started road cycling the flat and beautiful farmland of Indiana at the age of 13.  I still have my Miele steel blue bike and still ride her.  I also raced the "The World's Greatest College Weekend," the Little 500, the largest collegiate bike race in the United States, while attending Indiana University.  Bloomington, Indiana is rolling farmland and a great introduction to climbing. Since living in Chattanooga, I have been on several competitive women's cycling teams, racing crits, time trials, and road races.  Chattanooga has access to challenging roads and trails for all bikes.  Keeping healthy and injury free, I did have to give up sports love. I did have to keep my Ducati 950 Multistrada in the garage for a year or so.  I did not want to risk injury and miss the opportunity to race A2A.  I also did not play competitive tennis, fearing injury.  I had to be diligent and take care not to get injured, so as not to interrupt my training schedule.  

Q4. What did you eat during the A2A (Enduroman Arch to Arc)?  Did you eat different things on your run, bike and swim?  Or the same stuff?

Smith: 4.  I have been a competitive athlete for decades, and I know what works.  I am very practiced and predictable.  I eat real food: bananas, clementines, apples, Lisa Hendy's smoked salmon sandwiches, potato chips, NUTS!, drink water with electrolytes, and sometimes sips of Coke Classic.  My swim feeds are simple and I honor my late Coach Anne Cleveland for her swim wisdom.  Arizona Sweet or GreenTea and Maxim Sport Drink.  We alter the amount of carbs according to water temperature.  It works brillantly.

 

Q5. Do your athletes who you coach or your boys ever train with you?

Smith:  I am a lone she-wolf.  I train solo.  It was not always so, when Max and Zane were 8 and 10 years old they would stand up paddle for a large group of local swimmers on the entire Tennessee River and kayak for Swim the Suck training swims and the race.  After a hostile encounter with a tourist boat, Zane (19) did kayak for me before A2A.  Max (21) has supported my long bike rides (6 hours +) by motorcycling some potato chips, Coke Classic, and sunscreen to me.   Will is an amazing pilot, he follows on longer swims (4+hrs) in our 24-foot ski boat.  Will has kayaked many of my swims and training swims.  Max (16) and Zane (14) were on the boat for my first English Channel crossing, Max did his Summer reading and Zane slept on the bean bag on the Louise Jane. 

Q6. What was the difference between your normal English Channel crossing and your A2A channel crossing?

Smith: 6.   The difference was a lack of sleep, shredded feet, and physical exhaustion.  The goal was to arrive in Dover as fresh as possible: hydrated, mentally prepared.  The run was hot and the sun was relentless, and my feet were blistered.  I never complained, and fortunately my crew Lisa Hendy, is an outdoor, survivalist, medic guru.  Lisa is an expert on hiker foot care, as she is a National Park Ranger and more.  The run took longer than I anticipated, and while sitting in the shower in Dover wondering how I was going to eat, sleep and meet the boat in four hours was daunting.  But then I read my most wonderful and loving whatsapp groups messages, and I swear it was like watering a wilting plant.  I rose up and giggled at a photo of Clodagh & Phil cheering me with their glasses of Chattanooga Whiskey... and I reframed it all again... this is "f*ing fun and I get to do this."  It helped that I was looking forward to getting in the EC, I wanted to cool off.  It also helped that my crew Connie Roberts (Doctorate of Physical Therapy and World Champion Triathlete and more) tended to my shredded feet and worked magic on my muscles and joints.  My crew was integral to my success.  

Q7. What was your age when you completed the A2A?  What is your birthday?

Smith: I was 48 years old and 49th athlete to complete the event.

Q8. How sore or fatigued were you after the A2A?  How did that compare to a typical channel crossing?

Smith: I was not sore at all.  I train and practice efficiency.  I never want to waste a moment.  Once again, this is where practices and rituals play in.  I have pre-race, pre-training, recovery and post race rituals.  I use food, water, yoga, and other modalities to keep my mind and body whole.

Q9. When someone completes something like a channel swim, they are often asked, "What are you going to do next?"  They typically have 1 or 2 other swims in mind.  But in your case, you seem to have dozens of other extreme events or swims in mind.  What are among the Top 10 of your anticipated events that you want to do in the short term?

Smith: To be decided. I never plan that far ahead, because you miss opportunities that show themselves organically.  

 

Q10. Were there any mishaps along the way during the A2A?

Smith: YES, there were many.  It started with logistics.  We were unable to rent a passenger van to accommodate our crew and gear.  Since none of us had a European/UK drivers permit.  So there was that.  We ended up with two passenger tiny cargo van, for a team of four.  It is very difficult for an American to navigate the logistics of a race in two different countries.  Getting lost in Paris for hours during rush hour was horrendous.  I was separated several times from the van. Being bonked and Will driving for hours in a tiny UK van on French roads was sketchy.  We were out of bananas, oranges, sandwiches on bike ride, and I started riding at Midnight, and nothing was open.  Getting a cup of coffee was even a challenge, to find any stores open, and we had to backtrack a couple of times. UGH. I ended up with 10 miles extra of bike course. Lisa drove the van across the Channel and slept on the French beach because there were no rooms available.  My crew was also running on fumes, most A2A athletes have crew for run, crew for swim, crew for bike.  My badass crew supported the WHOLE race, not only physically but emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

Q11 Your T1 transition (from run-to-swim) was short.  How do you plan for such a quick transition between such a long run and an English Channel crossing?

Smith: The run took two hours longer than planned.  Tending to my prolific blisters took time and we got off the run course a few times too.  In Dover, there was a mishap with ALL of our gear missing from our rooms and put us behind the clock. I slept for an hour or so and choked down some fish and chips.  Luckily, I am a swimmer and I love swimming.  I had a date with the Gallivant, and I did not want to keep her waiting!  The Gallivant pilots and Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation.  Observers were awesome, we had a beautiful relaxing day in the English Channel.  Will and Connie kept tossing my feeds, and I hope they slept during their shifts!  I was smiling the entire swim, it was bittersweet because I did not want to get out on the French beach... I did not want it to be my last English Channel swim.

 

Q12. How many total hours of training do you do on your typically "hard" week of training?

Smith: I have no idea how many hours.  I am not a data keeper or spreadsheet saver.  I trust the process, and lean on my coaches.  I try to make "training" part of my lifestyle.  Being outside is always my goal, and training is always "something I get to do."  I see it as an opportunity to be in Nature and a choice I make.  Keeping perspective and being intentional with your life choices.  

SCAR Cumulative Results (Total Time for Saguaro + Canyon + Apache + Roosevelt Lakes)

1. Michael Rice (38) 12:47:03.0 
2. Catherine Breed (30) 13:00:58.6 
3. Steven Munatones (60) 13:35:51.7 
4. Karen Zemlin (55) 14:35:46.2 
5. Chris Cook (42) 14:40:20.7 
6. Lura Wilhelm (41) 14:50:01.8 
7. Steven Sherry (56) 15:43:41.8 
8. William Shipp (63) 16:21:15.4 
9. Anna Zuccolotto Soto (37) 16:53:20.8 
10. Abigail Bergman (27) 16:57:52.0 
11. Erika Beauchamp (49) 17:01:54.0 
12. Mike Peters (29) 17:26:10.2 
13. Shannon Keegan (48) 17:30:47.8
14. Rijl Barber (42) 17:36:36.0 
15. Kerianne Brownlie (29) 17:41:08.9 
16. Rod Watkins (62) 17:44:15.0 
17. Sofia Cardenas (34) 17:44:57.6 
18. Haiden Freeman (23) 18:03:25.0 
19. Jenny Smith (49) 18:15:18.7 
20. Kate Mason (64) 19:04:50.2
21. Jared Kenney (36) 19:08:24.3 
22. Steve Sutton (56) 19:14:41.0 
23. Jennifer Dutton (54) 19:24:34.9 
24. Justine Brousseau (44) 20:06:27.9 
25. Sophie Ryan (45) 20:17:09.4 
26. Sue-Ellen Booher (69) 21:08:09.7 
27. Paula Yankauskas (68) 21:18:05.1 
28. Claire Russell (61) 21:30:57.4 
29. Joe Zemaitis (42) 33:49:00.5 (including two-way crossings of Saguaro + Canyon + Roosevelt)
30. Charlotte Brynn (3 races completed) 
31. Stefan Reinke (3 races completed) 
32. Patti Bauernfeind McMurdle (3  races completed) 
33. John Zemaitis (3 races completed) 
34. Anna Delozier (2 races completed) 
35. Cornelia Bleul-Gohlke (2 races completed) 
36. Mark Spratt (2 races completed) 
37. Peter Hayden (2 races completed) 
38. Susie Paul (2 races completed) 
39. Melanie Tyrell (2 races completed) 
40. Kristiana Fox (2 races completed) 
41. Michael Reilly (2 races completed) 
42. Elizabeth Huesing (2 races completed) 
43. Ashley Husmoe (1 race completed) 
44. Henry Palmer (1 race completed) 
45. Alison Meadow (1 race completed) 
46. Dana Price (1 race completed) 
47. Jessica Kennedy (1 race completed) 
48. Rob Forst (1 race completed) 
49. Brad Lundblad (1 race completed) 
50. Lauren Byron (1 race completed) 
51. Terri Daugherty (1 race completed) 
52. Fionnuala Walsh (1 race completed) 
53. Mike Healey (1 race completed) 
54. Melissa Housmyer (1 race completed) 
55. Cathy Harrington (1 race completed) 
56. Craig Collins (1 race completed) 

For additional information on the 4-day stage swim, visit the SCAR Facebook page here.  To apply to next year's swim, bookmark this SCAR website: www.scarswim.com.