Getting Stung in the Face Wasn’t the Worst Part 

She could've gone crossed it two more full times, on an optimal route!

Recently, Sarah Thomas became the first person to swim the English Channel four times in a row, without stopping. This is certainly an incredible feat, though it also strikes me as more than a little ridiculous. Then there’s the fact that the distance covered was just a wee bit higher than strictly necessary:

It should have been a total distance of about 80 miles (129 km) but the tidal pulls in the Channel increased the distance by more than 60%, meaning she ended up swimming nearly 130 miles (209 km).

That is a lot of extra swimming. Thomas could’ve gone crossed two more full times, on an optimal route.