'I swim for each and every single person that has ever been touched by cancer...'
Scoping out the Ocean's Seven as a high school senior is something outside the realms of imagining for most of us. Yet Maya Merhige is not your typical classmate. Aged 16, this Californian marathon swimmer from Berkeley is already breaking records - in fact, she just became the third youngest in history to complete the Triple Crown of open water swimming.
In July 2024, Maya swam a 33-kilometre crossing of the English Channel and stacked this incredible achievement on top of a Catalina Channel crossing (2021) and 45.9-kilometre circumnavigation around Manhattan Island (2023).
MAYA'S MARATHON SWIMS
- LAKE TAHOE - WIDTH (AUGUST 2020)
- THREE ROCKS (JUNE 2021)
- LAKE TAHOE - VIKING SWIM (JULY 2021)
- CATALINA CHANNEL (SEPTEMBER 2021)
- LAKE TAHOE - LENGTH (JULY 2022)
- ANGEL ISLAND - ROUND-TRIP (OCTOBER 2022)
- MOLOKAI CHANNEL SWIM - HAWAII (JANUARY 2023)
- MANHATTAN ISLAND - 20 BRIDGES (JULY 2023)
- ENGLISH CHANNEL (JULY 2024)
Maya has been swimming to raise money for Swim Across America since she was just 9 years old. She has raised over $100,000 for paediatric cancer research in her community. You can support Maya and the fight against cancer on her Swim Across America fundraising page.
For this interview, we chatted to Maya before she went back to school to learn more about her epic achievements:
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‘Do you remember your first swim in open water? Did you have an instant connection with the sport?’
Maya: 'I 100% remember my first real swim in open water. I remember how excited I was to jump off the boat, and then I remember sobbing for the entire mile-long swim. But, as soon as I got out of the water I was hooked. This weird loop of sobbing while in the water and then being so excited post-swim continued for three years, until I finally took my wetsuit off. Once I took my wetsuit off, the tears stopped, and I felt like a whole new world had been opened to me. So yes, I was hooked from the beginning, but it took a few years for me to find my groove.'
‘I remember how excited I was to jump off the boat, and then I remember sobbing for the entire mile-long swim...’
‘Since aged 9 you’ve been swimming as part of the nonprofit Swim Across America – can you tell us a little about your involvement with this organisation?’
Maya: 'Swim Across America is what I credit all of my open water swimming to. I got introduced to the foundation by Susan Helmrich, the former director of the San Francisco swim. At the beginning it was mostly just my vessel into open water swimming, but over time my involvement has become much more personal, and the cause has become closer to my heart.'
'I began working on the planning committee in 2020 and have run the Junior Advisory Board for two years. Around the same time that I began ultramarathon swimming I had people much closer begin to deal with cancer, and as a 12-year-old I think my brain finally developed enough for me to better understand cancer and how impactful it is. Each year more people close to me deal with cancer, and it has made me more and more dedicated to and passionate about this cause.'
'Each year more people close to me deal with cancer, and it has made me more and more dedicated to and passionate about this cause.'
‘Aged 16, you swam the English Channel in 11 hours and 39 minutes. How did it feel to accomplish what some call the ‘Everest of swimming’?'
Maya: 'It felt absolutely incredible to finish the English Channel, mostly because of how 'classic' it is. As you said, it’s often called the 'Everest of swimming', so it’s always been something in the back of my mind. Although I actually don’t think it’s the hardest swim out there, or even the hardest swim I’ve done. I think that because of how classic it is it made it so much more fun!'
'The community associated with the Channel is incredible, and it’s a swim that non-swimmers can better understand. Being able to feel my community’s support and completing this monumental swim (that most of the greatest open water swimmers in the world have done) was incredible. I felt like I was truly joining the ultramarathon open water swim club with the completion of this swim.'
‘Your marathon swims include the Triple Crown of open water with the 20.1-mile Catalina Channel and 28.5-mile swim around Manhattan Island – can you tell us a little about how you train for such long-distance swims?’
Maya: 'Training is completely different for each swim, and it has become even more unique as I’ve gotten older and other time commitments have appeared in my life. I swim in the pool with my high school eight times a week through the spring and spend each Saturday morning doing a long swim in the SF Bay. I usually start at 30 minutes to acclimate to the water temperature, and then add 30 minutes each week until I get to my biggest training swim, usually somewhere around six hours.'
'Training for Manhattan and the English Channel was unique for me because I was simultaneously dealing with serious health issues. I underwent major emergency surgery three months before I swam Manhattan, so my training basically consisted of a couple 3-hour swims. Because I swim year-round, and I had done a major swim a few months beforehand, my training stuck, and I was able to do Manhattan with minimal training. I’ve continued to have health issues this year, and I was hospitalized twice in May, preventing me from swimming for the entire month. I basically had to do the same training progression twice, but I was able to stick with my pool/open water split and train sufficiently!'
'I swim in the pool with my high school eight times a week through the spring...'
‘You were also the youngest woman ever to swim the Catalina Channel in 2021 (14) and Ka-iwi Channel in Hawaii (15). Do you have any memories that stand out from these two particular crossings?’
Maya: 'My favourite thing from Catalina was the bioluminescence in the water, and my favourite thing from Molokai was my connection with the nature and sea life. I saw and heard so many dolphins on that swim. It was truly an unreal experience.'
'My favourite thing from Catalina was the bioluminescence in the water...'
‘What do your classmates think of your record-breaking achievements?’
Maya: 'My classmates are always really surprised and kind of confused about my swims. I try not to talk about them that much, but as they’ve begun to attract more media attention, it’s become much more public. I really appreciate being treated normally among my peers, but we definitely have conversations here and there about it. I get recognized by strangers and people at school as 'the girl that does those crazy swims' which still always surprises me! It’s such a big but simultaneously normal part of my life that I sometimes forget that it is a little bit unique for my age. My friends are my biggest supporters though, and I love them for it.'
'My friends are my biggest supporters though, and I love them for it...'
‘We read that your ambition is to become the youngest person to complete the Oceans Seven by 2029. What motivates you to pursue such an epic challenge?’
Maya: 'One of the main reasons that I would like to complete the Oceans Seven is because of the opportunities that it gives me to explore the world and meet such cool groups of people. I love how different each swim is, and how they all come with different challenges and highlights.'
'I really get to challenge myself in a lot of ways, and because of this I am constantly learning more about myself and the world. Also, all of the swims are in incredible places that I would be lucky to have the opportunity to visit, and swim. The Oceans Seven is just some more inspiration to push my limits, try new things, and explore/adventure around the world!'
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