3-time Olympic medalist Megan Jendrick did her first open water swim this weekend at the Flowers Sea Swim. But her first foray was only one mile.

Today, Jendrick successfully completed her first 5 km sea swim. But the out-and-back course looked intimidating at first. “Where’s the turnaround point?” she asked.

It looks so far away on land…until you view the same distance in the water. From the water, all the distances look even longer.

The open water swimmer’s perspective of looking up and forward from only a few centimeters above the surface of the water makes everything look so far away. “I was tired and sore in my arms and neck [from looking up], but it was great. I just followed other swimmers ahead of me and have never looked up so much before [in swimming]. I stayed with them for about 4000 meters and then picked up in at the end and sprinted in.“

Just like an experienced open water swimmer.

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