Kimberley Chambers, the first woman to swim from the Farallon Islands to the Golden Gate bridge, spoke at my work today.
I've always been petrified of sharks - so much so that I even get spooked going into the ocean in clear, beautiful Hawaiian beaches. I couldn't fathom how this amazing woman was able to overcome that fear. This, more than anything, was what impressed me.
When she finished speaking, I worked up the courage to ask her what the most frightening or daunting part of these open water swims was. I half expected her to say "fear of failure," or "the physical pain that I knew I'd endure," but she simply responded that she was terrified that she'd jump right into a great white shark's mouth, upon getting in the water.
This response made her seem more human, even relatable. Yeah, she'd endured 200 jellyfish stings on a swim in 52 degree water, but she still was most afraid of the same thing that I am.
Certain hardships you know your body can survive, and others you know you're body can't. Being bitten in half by a giant prehistoric beast is definitely the latter. Perhaps that's why even the strongest humans have this rational fear.
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