Tom Hetzel Ph.D. of Texas had an incredible streak from 1967-1977 when he successfully completed 8 crossing of the English Channel in 10 years.

Heltzel, a 1980 inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame wrote a book called Conquest in the English Channel. One of Tom’s many memorable lines was, “Throw away the stop watch and use the calendar,” which he used to coach the world’s most famous pool swimming coach, Doc Counsilman, across the English Channel.

Tom estimated that he trained enough miles in the open water to circle the earth besides setting records in 18 different bodies of water. He had another prolific period between 1980-1984 when he completed eight swims around Manhattan Island.

Hetzel took to marathon swimming “to test myself“, believing and proving that there is value in resisting quitting. Among his other personal beliefs and coaching gems were, “One more chance, can lead to success” and “Never allow negative words to creep into your vocabulary. Maintain a positive attitude and a positive vocabulary.”

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