MALIBU, Calif. – Coming off an impressive junior campaign helping the Pepperdine swim team to back-to-back PCSC championships, senior Tay Thomas completed the true width swim of Lake Tahoe on July 30th. The swim is put on by Pacific Open Water Swim and is a 12.3 mile marathon that starts on the west shore, just north of Homewood, California and finishes in Glenbrook, Nevada. Thomas swam by herself and was accompanied by a support boat throughout the swim with one crew member (her best friend Mich Meyier) as well as an official and a driver.
 
"Before the race I went through excitement, nerves, but most of all just wanting to have fun with the swim and complete it," Thomas said. "They told me when I was crossing the state line and it was so cool to think that I just swam to a different state."
 
To prepare for the swim, Thomas trained by doing open water swims in the ocean, which allowed her to become comfortable with cold water and the rough conditions of a 12.3 mile swim that started in the dark at 4:35 a.m.
 
Thomas started the day at 2 a.m. where she and Mich got all the gear ready as well as the food she would need during the swim. She arrived at the dock at 3:30 a.m. and began her swim just over an hour later. Her best friend Mich would throw her food and other nutrients every 30 minutes to make sure she stayed hydrated and had enough energy to complete the swim.
 
Thomas completed the swim with an unofficial time of 5:03.52, the fastest time of 2023. She is the fourth fastest woman to complete the swim and the sixth fastest in history. Thomas was met at the finish line by her parents, uncle, and cousin who drove out on a boat to surprise and watch her finish.
 
"After the race, I still couldn't believe I did it. It was such a surreal experience to swim with the sun rising and seeing the mountains with snow on them still around me," Thomas said. "It definitely fueled the fire for this upcoming season and wanting to do more open water swims. As of right now I'm not sure if I would swim 12.3 again because I want to focus on 21.7 miles (the length of Tahoe) and see what I can do in that swim. With marathon swims, I think my goal is all about completing it and having fun, the time and placing comes second but it's always a bonus! For this upcoming season I am so excited to represent my team in the pool and ocean and get up and race other people who are interested in open water!"
 
Thomas will look to continue doing more open water swims. She is ready to help the Waves compete this upcoming season in their first year in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.