About

“Twenty years from now,you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the things you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the tradewinds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”   Mark Twain

Ten Things You Need To Know About Jennifer Figge

1. In ten years, from 1985 – 95 she ran seven marathons and five ultra-marathons. She
ran across two states (Iowa and Illinois), six countries (France, Romania, Thailand, India,
Mexico, Iceland), and South America (Chile and Argentina).

2. She just turned 58 in November 2010 but is agelessly giddy.

3. Jennifer lives in Aspen, CO and trains in a pool at the Maroon Creek Club. “I like
training at altitude in the cold and snow,” she says.

4. She didn’t swim across the Atlantic. She completed three Atlantic Crossings, swimming daily for up to 8 hours a day, accompanied by “Jamie” a 42′ catamaran and a 5-person crew, including a rescue diver and a doctor.

5. Despite widespread erroneous reports, Jennifer Figge did not swim across the Atlantic
inside of a shark cage. The shark cage lasted all of one hour. She swam the rest of the
journey un-tethered to the boat with tremendous risk at being separated from them.

6. In 2009 during her first Atlantic Crossing, her longest consecutive swim was 28
nautical miles. To put that in perspective, the Ironman Triathlon distance is 2.4.

7. Jennifer’s dog Hank was a 150 pound Alaskan Malamute who wrote his own children’s book. He passed away in December and was 11 years old.

8. Jennifer’s son Alex is a professional racecar driver and accompanied his mom on her
swim from Tahiti to Moorea in 2004.

9. During her first Atlantic Crossing Jennifer swam in seas up to 30 feet and the only
way for her to be safely returned to the boat was with the assistance of a rescue diver

10. Jennifer is attempting to swim the Pacific from Cabo San Lucas to Hawaii in December 2010. It is her first time crossing the Pacific, but it will probably not be her last.

RUNS (chronological):

  • Chicago Marathon (1985)
  • London Marathon (1988)
  • Ran across Iowa, 300 miles, 12 days (1989)
  • “The Mad Dog 50 [Miles]”, Scottsdale, Arizona (1990)
  • Ran across Illinois, 180 Miles, 7 days (1990)
  • Edmund Fitzgerald 100-kilometer run, Duluth, Minnesota (1990 & 1991)
  • Ran across France, 400 miles, 16 days (1991)
  • Houston Marathon (1991)
  • Dallas Ultra-Marathon, 100-kilometer run (1992)
  • Drake Relays Marathon, Des Moines, Iowa (1992 & 1993)
  • Ran across Iceland, 300 miles, 12 days (1992)
  • Palamos, Spain The World Cup, 100-kilometer run (1992)
  • Las Vegas Marathon (1993)
  • Utah Marathon, St. George, Utah (1993)
  • Ran across Romania, 350 miles, 14 days (1993)
  • Ran across South America, Chile & Argentina, 576 miles, 21 days (1993)
  • Ran across Thailand, North to South, 300 miles, 11 nights (1994)
  • Ran across India, 450 miles, 16 days (1994)
  • Erie, Pennsylvania Marathon (1994)
  • Twin Cities Marathon, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota (1994)
  • Ran across Mexico, 180 miles (last 60 miles in cast on left leg), 8 days (1995)

SWIMS (chronological):

  • Ruedi Reservoir, Colorado, 4 miles & 8 miles (1995 & 1996)
  • Turkey to Greece, Lesvos, 6 miles (1995)
  • Mokie Canyon, Lake Powell, Utah, 6 miles (1995)
  • Corsica, France to Sardinia, Italy, Straights of Bonafacio, 12.4 miles (1996)
  • Colorado River, Laughlin, NV to Needles, California, 28 miles (1996)
  • Sea of Cortez, Carmen Island to Loretto, Baha, Mexico, 9 miles (1997)
  • Anguila Channel, St. Martin to Anguila, Caribbean, 6 miles (1997)
  • Santa Barbara Channel, California, 14 miles (1997)
  • Au Au Channel, Lanai to Maui, Hawaii, 9 miles (1998)
  • St. Barth’s Channel, St. Barth’s to St. Martin, Caribbean, 12 miles (1998)
  • San Jose de Cabo Bay, Mexico, 9 miles (1999 & two other times)
  • Norman Island BVI to St. Thomas, VI (incomplete, shark sighting at 9 miles), 11 miles (2000)
  • Vineyard Sounds, Martha’s Vineyard to Cutty Hunk, Massachusetts, 7.2 miles (2000)
  • Strait of Tiran, Red Sea, Egypt, 5.6 miles (2000)
  • Strait of Johor, Singapore to Malaysia, 2.5 miles (2000)
  • Strait of Gibraltar, Spain to Morocco, 12.4 miles (2001 & 2002)
  • Martha’s Vineyard to Woods Hole, Massachusetts, 4 miles (2002)
  • Cozumel Channel, 20 miles (2003)
  • Tahiti to Morea, French Polynesia, 9 miles (2004)
  • Taha to Bora Bora, 9 miles (2005)
  • The Seychelles, St. Anne’s Channel, 4 miles (2006)
  • Heads of Sydney Harbor, 2 miles (2007)
  • Cay Sal Bank, Bahamas to Marathon, Florida, 52 miles, 3 days (2007)
  • Miami, Florida to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 21 miles (2 times in 2008)
  • Miami, Florida to Boca Raton, Florida, 30 miles (2008)
  • Tobago to Margarita Island, Venezuela, three days (2009)
  • Cape Verde to Trinidad,  (2009)
  • Cape Verde Islands to Trinidad, training swim  (2009)
  • Cape Verde to Trinidad,  (2010)
  • Cabo San Lucas, Mexico to Lanai, Hawaii (2011)