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In her own words:

Margarethe Denk is a SwimMastery High Performance Coach, Marathon and Ice Swimmer. After years of competing in the pool I discovered Open Water swimming. When the pandemic hit the only chance to swim was outdoors throughout the winter. And I realised that I really like swimming in cold water - and my body can stand low temperatures. So I expanded the time and eventually got into Ice Swimming, which is my passion. Swim-arts.com
Facebook: @swim-arts & @swim.mentor
Instagram: @swimartsbasel & @swim.mentor

This episode is one story. The Water’s Edge is where stories like this turn into lived experience. Feeling inspired? Find Meaning in the Monotony or subscribe to my Substack for Lessons from the Water

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Stories from the Water is produced by http://254studio.com

Music credit:
Epic Inspiration by Rafael Krux
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5447-epic-inspiration-
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Swimming sounds courtesy of swimmer Todd Lantry.

Are you ready to change the way you experience the water? Join the SwimMastery Open Water Camp in Loreto, Mexico in 2027. Find out more: SwimMastery Open Water Swim Camps

Learn more and plan your Lake Shasta adventure at Houseboats.com

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In her own words:

I've been a pool swimmer since age of 9 and swam competitivelyfor UCSD Tritons

I started swimming open water regularly since 1990 My first channel swim (not ratified) was Maui Channel in 2009

Other ratified solo marathon swims include Catalina Channel (Sept 2013), English Channel (June 2021 j, 20 Bridges (tandem, June 2023), Length of Tahoe (Aug. 2023), and Around Jersey Island (Aug 2025)

I retired from my career in the Oil & Gas industry as an engineer and manager in 2022

I am currently a UCSD Masters Swim Coach and Swim Instructor, and I swim regularly at La Jolla Cove and at UCSD pool

I'm in the process of planning future marathon swims as I recover from foot surgery. Some of the ones on the 10-year horizon include Anacapa (cross & around), Otsego Lake, Maui Nui, Robben Island, Straitof Gibraltar, Cook Strait, and wherever else sounds fun. I'm open to any and all suggestions as well as putting new swims on a map.

This episode is one story. The Water’s Edge is where stories like this turn into lived experience. Feeling inspired? Find Meaning in the Monotony or subscribe to my Substack for Lessons from the Water

Want to watch? Episodes now available on YouTube!

Keep the stories coming by supporting the show.

Questions, comments, feedback, or if you'd like to be a guest, reach out to me.

Stories from the Water is produced by http://254studio.com

Music credit:
Epic Inspiration by Rafael Krux
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5447-epic-inspiration-
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Swimming sounds courtesy of swimmer Todd Lantry.

Learn more and plan your Lake Shasta adventure at Houseboats.com

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

This episode is one story. The Water’s Edge is where stories like this turn into lived experience. Feeling inspired? Find Meaning in the Monotony or subscribe to my Substack for Lessons from the Water

Want to watch? Episodes now available on YouTube!

Keep the stories coming by supporting the show.

Questions, comments, feedback, or if you'd like to be a guest, reach out to me.

Stories from the Water is produced by http://254studio.com

Music credit:
Epic Inspiration by Rafael Krux
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5447-epic-inspiration-
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Swimming sounds courtesy of swimmer Todd Lantry.

Learn more and plan your Lake Shasta adventure at Houseboats.com

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Edward (“Ted”) Lomicka is a healthcare finance and innovation strategist at Community Health Systems and an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University. He is also a husband to Michelle and father of two daughters, Ashton and Emory. Ted, an American ultra-endurance triathlete and marathon swimmer, is known for pursuing large-scale endurance challenges. He has completed 35 IRONMAN triathlons, including the 2016 IRONMAN World Championship, as well as two ULTRAMAN triathlons, including the 2019 ULTRAMAN World Championship. He has also finished the first five sequential events in the ANVIL ultra-distance triathlon race series, ranging from 140.6 miles to 703.0 miles.

In the open water, Ted Lomicka has completed the Kaiwi Channel crossing from Molokai to Oahu, multiple Caribbean marathon swims, and most recently, the Triple Maui Nui Swim—becoming the first man and second person in history to complete the 34-mile, three-channel, nonstop crossing. He is currently writing First to Five: The Five Hammers of a Do Anything Mindset, a forthcoming book exploring the psychological frameworks, preparation strategies, and decision-making principles that drive ultra-endurance performance and other high-stakes pursuits. He trains in Tennessee and competes internationally. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Tulane University and an MBA from Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management.

Contact Ted on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/TedLomicka/

This episode is one story. The Water’s Edge is where stories like this turn into lived experience. Feeling inspired? Find Meaning in the Monotony or subscribe to my Substack for Lessons from the Water

Want to watch? Episodes now available on YouTube!

Keep the stories coming by supporting the show.

Questions, comments, feedback, or if you'd like to be a guest, reach out to me.

Stories from the Water is produced by http://254studio.com

Music credit:
Epic Inspiration by Rafael Krux
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5447-epic-inspiration-
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Swimming sounds courtesy of swimmer Todd Lantry.

Learn more and plan your Lake Shasta adventure at Houseboats.com

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Send us Fan Mail

​Chris is a journalist and the author of five books. The latest, The Plunge: Maverick Swimmers, an Unlikely Quest, and the Transformative Power of Cold Water, it is a globe-trotting narrative about swimmers, the science of discomfort, and the psychology of endurance.

Lynne Cox called it "brilliant." Jeff Pearlman described it as "masterful" and "life-affirming." And Adam Grant deemed it, "mesmerizing," adding, "I still loathe cold water but I loved this book."

Booklist and Publisher's Weekly gave it starred reviews, describing it as "entertaining," "ambitious," "thrumming with energy," and "a jubilant exploration."

You can pre-order at Simon & Schuster.

For two decades, I was a Senior Writer at Sports Illustrated, writing features, profiles, and investigations. My work has also appeared in The New York Times Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, National Geographic, and other publications.

This episode is one story. The Water’s Edge is where stories like this turn into lived experience. Feeling inspired? Find Meaning in the Monotony or subscribe to my Substack for Lessons from the Water

Want to watch? Episodes now available on YouTube!

Keep the stories coming by supporting the show.

Questions, comments, feedback, or if you'd like to be a guest, reach out to me.

Stories from the Water is produced by http://254studio.com

Music credit:
Epic Inspiration by Rafael Krux
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5447-epic-inspiration-
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Swimming sounds courtesy of swimmer Todd Lantry.

Learn more and plan your Lake Shasta adventure at Houseboats.com

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Lev Goldberg (he/him) became the first openly transgender person to swim across Lake Ontario or any Great Lake on September 3, 2025, finishing his crossing in 24 hours 25 minutes and 15 seconds. He is currently working towards becoming the first openly transgender person to swim across all 5 Great Lakes, and is training to swim 55km across Lake Huron in August 2026, raising funds for LGBT Youthline.

Although gender dysphoria led him to stop swimming at age 9, he found his way back to the water at age 27 after a eighteen-year hiatus and quickly began to dream of marathon swimming. Less than three years later, he swam across Lake Ontario raising $7,000 for LGBT Youthline, a peer support service for 2SLGBTQ+ youth in Ontario.

Lev was born in Philadelphia and moved to Toronto to attend university thirteen years ago, where he now works as a therapist supporting 2SLGBTQ+ youth. He is also an avid runner and has completed more than twenty running races including two full marathons.

You can learn more about Lev and his swims at levswimslakes.ca, @lev.swims.lakes on instagram, and @the.leviathn on Tiktok.

This episode is one story. The Water’s Edge is where stories like this turn into lived experience. Feeling inspired? Find Meaning in the Monotony or subscribe to my Substack for Lessons from the Water

Want to watch? Episodes now available on YouTube!

Keep the stories coming by supporting the show.

Questions, comments, feedback, or if you'd like to be a guest, reach out to me.

Stories from the Water is produced by http://254studio.com

Music credit:
Epic Inspiration by Rafael Krux
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5447-epic-inspiration-
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Swimming sounds courtesy of swimmer Todd Lantry.

Learn more and plan your Lake Shasta adventure at Houseboats.com

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

This episode is one story. The Water’s Edge is where stories like this turn into lived experience. Feeling inspired? Find Meaning in the Monotony or subscribe to my Substack for Lessons from the Water

Want to watch? Episodes now available on YouTube!

Keep the stories coming by supporting the show.

Questions, comments, feedback, or if you'd like to be a guest, reach out to me.

Stories from the Water is produced by http://254studio.com

Music credit:
Epic Inspiration by Rafael Krux
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5447-epic-inspiration-
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Swimming sounds courtesy of swimmer Todd Lantry.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

This episode is one story. The Water’s Edge is where stories like this turn into lived experience. Feeling inspired? Find Meaning in the Monotony or subscribe to my Substack for Lessons from the Water

Want to watch? Episodes now available on YouTube!

Keep the stories coming by supporting the show.

Questions, comments, feedback, or if you'd like to be a guest, reach out to me.

Stories from the Water is produced by http://254studio.com

Music credit:
Epic Inspiration by Rafael Krux
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5447-epic-inspiration-
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Swimming sounds courtesy of swimmer Todd Lantry.

Learn more and plan your Lake Shasta adventure at Houseboats.com

Support the show