LEGENDS OF THE LIFEGUARDS: THE STORY OF HERC'S HEROIC ENGLISH CHANNEL SWIM

Swimming to Survive

"There are other demons beyond cold that channel swimmers need to banish, often with the help of a sports psychologist. For Jonathan Maier, an East Bay plumber training for the channel, it's "the bogeyman." When I asked Maier who the bogeyman is, he said, "The bogeyman is the dude in your head who says you can't do it."
Four years ago, Maier, 43, would have agreed with him. Maier weighed about 300 pounds and spent his time "sitting on the couch." A former ocean lifeguard on Fire Island in New York, he'd "haul people out of the water and ride waves, but I wasn't a competitive swimmer. I just loved Saltaire, Fire Island." "

Editors note: Everybody knows that Jon "Herc" Maier swam the English channel in 2006, but have you read all the details? Above is an excerept from a great story that appeared in "SF Gate" of the San Francisco Chronicle about that swim. For the whole terrific story, follow this link:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/10/29/CMGIMLIEO11.DTL%20