Ultra swimmer completes 111-mile swim

During the dog days of summer, many folks find it appealing to spend some time splashing around in the water. On Aug. 19, one San Francisco man completed one of the longest river swims in history.

Patrick, a sales manager at an office supply company by day, swam nonstop, taking only small floating breaks for food and check-ins with the crew along his journey, completing the swim in 31 hours and 16 minutes.

"All in all, I feel pretty good. I'm very excited to be done," Patrick said amid the cheers of sponsors, spectators and loved ones who greeted him when he reached the Tower Bridge at about 7:15 p.m. "I had a difficult night, and didn't think I'd get through it, but here I am. It was a pretty magical swim."

This won't be the first (or last) ultra-swimming challenge that Patrick has taken up. In addition to completing multiple Ultraman races (6.2 mile swim, 260-mile bike, 52.4-mile run), he's completed more than 75 long-distance, open-water swims, with his most recent accomplishment a double crossing of Lake Tahoe last summer - he was the first person to complete the 44-mile trip. The only question is, where will Patrick swim next?

So how does Jamie prepare himself for such grueling swims? He spends a lot of time in his Endless Pools Swimming Machine, a compact training pool or flume tucked neatly in one bay of his two-bay garage. According to Jamie, convenience is key when you're swimming more than 10,000 yards a day. In fact, his training pool saves hours in commute time to the local pool; a must when he's juggling his own business and fatherhood, too.

Of course, getting out into the open water is also a must. The challenging two-mile swim from San Francisco to Alcatraz, as well as swims in northern California lakes, make up part of Patrick's training regimen.

You can follow Patrick's journey on his website dedicated to the record-breaking swim, Swimming California. For more information on his training pool you can also visit Endless Pools on Facebook.