Making waves: Major Stephanie Bigelow completes a 14‑hour swim from France to England

Making waves: Major Stephanie Bigelow completes a 14-hour swim from France to England

April 15, 2026 - Defence Stories

Estimated read time - 1:55

When Major (Maj) Stephanie Bigelow prepared to swim the English Channel in August 2025, she did so mostly by-swimming. Yet, the 58-kilometre, 14-hour swim between England and France ended up being the least of her worries. Instead, it was her psyche, jellyfish, and saltwater that tested her most.

"I've always been under the impression that, especially with swimming, it's 90% mental, 10% physical," she explained.

Her suspicions were confirmed once she landed in Dover, England. Bad weather forced her to begin at night, which she had hoped to avoid. Maj Bigelow has years of competitive swimming experience and was on the Canadian Junior National Team. Despite that, the darkness, rough water, and her imagined fear that there were sharks started wearing her down just two hours in.

"When you're in the dark for a long time, your mind plays tricks on you," she said. "My watch was a huge emotional check for me. Every 500 meters, it would vibrate. It was my lifeline because otherwise, you're spiraling in your own thoughts."

Then came the jellyfish.

"I could feel thick, bulbous heads of jellyfish because I would grab them as my hand paddled through," she said. Maj Bigelow was even stung in the face. Worried about swelling near her airway, she changed her stroke to protect her face, which added strain to her shoulders.

Hours after finishing, the effects of prolonged saltwater exposure hit: she couldn't properly swallow food. With an estimated 4,400-calorie deficit, eating was necessary but painful, even with numbing spray.

Maj Bigelow's swimming experience and preparation were essential for her success.

"70% of people fail in the first two hours. It's such an overwhelming situation and many go too hard at first. That's something I learned to control in my competitive swimming."

Planning a Channel swim is extensive. Athletes often wait years to secure a ticket and a boat captain. They need to assemble a crew that follows them during their swim for safety, moral support, and food. Maj Bigelow trained in Lake Ontario while deployed in Kingston.

Thankfully, Maj Bigelow was not alone in this journey. Her boat crew included two fellow Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members, and the CAF supported her training and travel.

Maj Bigelow is currently the 33 Canadian Forces Health Services base surgeon for the Royal Military College in Kingston. She is the second member-and woman-in the CAF to complete the swim after Winnie Roach in 1951.

"As a woman athlete, you're always told you'll never be the fastest or strongest. But it speaks to the grit of women that only women in our military have ever completed this swim. It's something I'm very proud of."