A female athlete swam 1,448 kilometers along the California coast over four weeks

Ultra-endurance athlete Catherine Breed, 33, has become the first person to swim along the entire California coast, covering approximately 1,448 kilometers from the Oregon border to the maritime border with Mexico in 111 days.

Breed set off on July 1 and completed the expedition on Monday, swimming an average of 10.3 miles a day, 3 to 5 miles offshore. She spent 18 days out of the water for rest and due to unfavorable weather, and swam for up to five hours a day, accompanied by a motorboat and her team’s sailing vessel, Catalyst.

Along the route, the athlete faced storms, strong ocean currents, sharks and sewage. In Northern California, northward currents forced her to change strategy and temporarily swim in the opposite direction to compensate for difficult stretches. Her team pulled her out of the water several times after sharks were spotted.

To maintain her energy, Breed consumed more than 6,000 calories a day. Toward the end, she took prophylactic antibiotics to prevent infections caused by polluted waters near the California-Mexico border. The expedition also aimed to draw attention to the fragility of marine ecosystems. Breed already holds nine open-water swimming records.