Sara Barbera swam for four hours through 57-degree water in the English Channel on June 21 before her legs and hips seized up, ending her attempt to cross from England to France roughly 8.5 miles in. She's already planning to go back.

Barbera, a 1993 Lake Forest College graduate and two-sport Forester athlete, had dreamed of the crossing since fifth grade, when she wrote a research paper about Gertrude Ederle, the first woman to swim the English Channel, completing the crossing in 1926. According to a profile published by Lake Forest College, Barbera began training in January 2025, swimming 15 to 20 miles per week at her local YMCA in winter and a lake near her Sharon, Massachusetts, home in summer. She also had to gain weight to handle the cold water.

In October 2025, Barbera attended a week-long swim camp in the Channel run by Kevin Murphy, who holds the men's record with 34 crossings. The camp convinced her she was ready. A college sprinter rather than a distance swimmer, she completed six-hour training swims there.

Called to swim a day early

Barbera's assigned window ran June 21 through June 30. She was third in line and expected to wait several days. Then, on the evening of Saturday, June 20, she got the call: the first swimmer had already gone, and the second was stranded at Heathrow Airport. By 3 a.m. Sunday she was on a boat headed to her starting point near the White Cliffs of Dover.

The unexpected early start meant she skipped her standard pre-swim routine of stretching and visualization.

"I jumped in the water, and I thought I would be able to stand, but it was deeper than I thought, so I went all the way under," Barbera told the college. "Then I had to crawl up to the shore. At that point, it felt surreal. Even when I was on the boat, I was thinking, 'Okay, and in 10 minutes, I'm going to be swimming in this. What the hell am I doing?'"

She entered pitch-black water at 4:20 a.m. on the summer solstice. During the swim she navigated shipping lanes, passed cargo vessels, and watched jellyfish drift beneath the surface. She avoided being stung.

After four hours and 8.5 miles, her legs and hips froze. She was propelling herself with her arms alone. Barbera estimated she still had 20 miles to go, accounting for tidal drift that pushes swimmers well beyond the straight-line distance. At her next planned feeding break, she stopped and rode the safety boat back to shore.

LFC roots

Former Lake Forest College swim coach Skip Cook recruited Barbera, who competed in both swimming and soccer for the Foresters. Her three closest friends and former roommates, Beeni DeStefano '94, Stacy Linehan '93, and Molly O'Keefe '94, were all teammates. Barbera has coached swimming for more than 20 years since graduating.

Her husband, Colin Barbera '91, and their two daughters are also LFC alumni.

"I don't really have a bucket list — I have one thing on it, and it's swimming the Channel," Barbera said. "Not until I finish the swim will I be done with this."

What's next

Barbera said the 18 months of training put aspects of her life on hold, and a second attempt will require more time and preparation. No date has been announced. She called the unfinished crossing "unfinished business" and noted that many Channel swimmers need two or three attempts before completing it.