Jen Schumacher’s Ocean’s Seven Challenge

On her mission

“I'm passionate about protecting whales and combating the effects of over-fishing, climate change and pollution – especially plastics – on all marine life. I share these goals with the Third Millennium Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to ocean conservation and marine life protection. I will be swimming to benefit 3MF because I believe in its forward-thinking approach, which combines research, education and international cooperation. Like the Ocean’s Seven, 3MF is working on a global scale, because safeguarding marine life and improving the health of the oceans is a challenge charged to the world.” — Jen Schumacher

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A young California marathon swimmer is taking on seven of the world’s toughest open water swims to raise awareness and funds for 3MF and its International Whales Network.

Her name is Jen Schumacher and her challenge is The Ocean’s Seven — seven iconic channel crossings around the world that present the most difficult and extreme conditions imaginable for open water swimmers.

Jen is competing against a small group of elite marathon swimmers who are racing to become the first human being to conquer The Ocean's Seven.

She's asking each of us to contribute to the cause of protecting the oceans and all the marine life they sustain.

Read Jen's 3MF Statement of Purpose [PDF]

Download Jen's Ocean's Seven Challenge Event Card [PDF]

The Ocean’s Seven

Ocean's Seven Open Water Swimming Challenge Map

Click for a PDF map

Catalina Channel – 21 miles between Southern California and Santa Catalina Island
Tsugaru Strait – 12 miles between the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido, Japan
Moloka‘i Channel (or Kaiwi Channel) – 26 miles between O‘ahu and Moloka‘i in Hawai‘i
Cook Strait – 14 miles between the North and South Islands of New Zealand
English Channel – 21 miles between England and France
Strait of Gibraltar – 9 miles between Spain in Europe and Morocco in Africa
Irish Channel (or North Channel) – 21 miles between Northern Ireland and Scotland: Considered the most difficult channel in the world

About Jen

Jen Schumacher, marathon open water swimmer Jen Schumacher is a 25-year-old marathon swimmer and graduate student at California State University, Fullerton. She has completed several major marathon swims, including the 21-mile Catalina Channel in both directions (one of the Ocean’s Seven), the 28.5-mile Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, and the rough 17-mile crossing between Kauai and Ni‘ihau in Hawai‘i in a record time of 9:56.