Penny Lee Dean Ed.D. (70, USA, MSF bio here) is a renowned marathon swimmer, a long-time USA Swimming national team coach, a pioneering administrator, a record-setting channel swimmer (both the English Channel and Catalina Channel), an author*, a dual International Swimming Hall of Fame and International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame inductee, and, quite simply, an icon in the sport of open water swimming.
Where did she get her start? Where did she get her drive?
She explains, “When I was ten years old, I was asked if I wanted to swim the Golden Gate Bridge in 1965. The swim across the entrance of San Francisco Bay is a one-mile swim from the city of San Francisco to Marin County. If I were successful, I would be the youngest female to accomplish this endeavor.
Our coaches wanted to prove that the swim was possible, but more importantly, to let the San Francisco Bay community know children of any age didn’t have to drown. I t was the leading cause of death in children in the 1960’s.
For training, we practiced in the 100-meter Fleishacker Pool which was filled with salt water and cold. We also trained in San Francisco Bay at Coyote Point. Mentally, we spoke with Gertrude Ederle, the first woman to swim the English Channel. She warned us we could go deaf from the cold water as she had.
However, if we wanted to do the swim, she wished us luck.
On September 18th 1965, Bruce Farley and I entered the water.* We had been delayed an hour because of boat malfunctions. This put us in the middle of the shipping channel under the bridge as many large cargo ships were heading to the San Francisco docks. We had to stop twice to prevent any accidents.
What should have been a 30-minute swim, unfortunately, turned into almost 55 minutes. One of my coaches asked if I wanted to get out as I was shivering significantly in the 56°F water. If my coach asked me, I thought it must be ok. As I touched the boat, I realized what I had done was wrong. I had quit.
When we returned to the dock, I saw my mom walk away. As I climbed up the stairs, I looked towards the Golden Gate Bridge. I promised myself I would swim the English Channel one day and break the world record.
From this experience, I learned that competing in open water had many challenges. No one could control Mother Nature, the weather, the water temperature, the currents, the tides and one’s escort crafts. A relatively easy swim could even become dangerous and life threatening. Competing against the various elements was the challenge of open water swimming.
This swim experience assisted me in both the single crossing of the Catalina Channel and the English Channel.”
Published Books
- Just Try One More
- Open Water Swimming: A Complete Guide for Distance Swimmers and Triathletes
- How To Swim A Marathon
- History of Catalina Swims
Top 10 Fastest Catalina Channel Crossings in History
- 7 hours 15 minutes 55 seconds by Penny Lee Dean, USA, Mainland-Catalina in September 1976
- 7 hours 27 minutes 25 seconds by Grace van der Byl, USA, Catalina-Mainland in October 2012
- 7 hours 37 minutes 31 seconds by Pete Huisveld, USA, Mainland-Catalina in August 1992
- 7 hours 41 minutes 14 seconds by John York, USA, Mainland-Catalina in September 1978 (first leg of a 2-way)
- 7 hours 43 minutes 6 seconds by Karen Burton, USA, Catalina-Mainland in October 1994
- 7 hours 55 minutes 6 seconds by Hank Wise, USA, Catalina-Mainland in October 2018
- 8 hours 4 minutes 12 seconds by Ceinwen Elizabeth Roberts, Australia, Catalina-Mainland in September 2014
- 8 hours 5 minutes 44 seconds by Todd Robinson, USA, Catalina-Mainland in August 2009
- 8 hours 7 minutes 3 seconds by Hank Wise, USA, Catalina-Mainland in October 2010
- 8 hours 7 minutes 37 seconds by Hank Wise, USA, Mainland-Catalina in June 2015
Top 12 Fastest English Channel Crossings in History
- Andreas Waschburger, Germany, E-F, 8 September 2023 in 6 hours 45 minutes 25 seconds at the age of 36
- Trent Grimsey, Australia, E-F, 8 September 2012 in 6 hours 55 minutes 0 seconds at the age of 24
- Petar Stoychev, Bulgaria, E-F, 24 August 2007 in 6 hours 56 minutes 50 seconds at the age of 30
- Christof Wandratsch, Germany, E-F, 1 August 2005 in 7 hours 3 minutes 52 seconds at the age of 38
- Yuri Kudinov, Russia, E-F, 24 August 2007 in 7 hours 5 minutes 42 seconds at the age of 28
- Rostislav Vítek, Czech Republic, E-F, August 2009 in 7 hours 16 minutes 25 seconds at the age of 33
- Chad Hundeby, USA, E-F, 27 September 1994 in 7 hours 17 minutes 0 seconds at the age of 23
- Christof Wandratsch, Germany, E-F, 20 August 2003 in 7 hours 20 minutes 0 seconds at the age of 36
- Petar Stoychev, Bulgaria, E-F 22 August 2006 in 7 hours 21 minutes 8 seconds at the age of 29
- David Meca Medina, Spain, E-F, 29 August 2005 in 7 hours 22 minutes 0 seconds at the age of 31
- Yvetta Hlaváčová, Czech Republic, E-F, 5 August 2006 in 7 hours 25 minutes 15 seconds at the age of 31
- Penny Lee Dean, USA, E-F, 29 July 1978 in 7 hours 40 minutes 0 seconds at the age of 23
* Bruce Farley recalls, “That day in 1965 is a day that neither of us will forget, for different reasons. When my father died, I found he carried a picture of us in his wallet for all those years. He was proud of us. As the years went on, talking about the swim began to fade, but the memory never has. Those were good times. I am grateful for the experience we shared in that 55°F water 54 years ago.“
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