Farmington Hills Woman's Swim Earns Her a Place in History

On Saturday, Farmington Hills resident Jenny Birmelin, age 34, became the first Michigan woman to complete a solo swim of the English Channel.

While Birmelin remains in England on vacation until August 31, Katy Michalski volunteer and vice-president of marketing for Birmelin's swim club, Ford Athletic Swim and Triathlon (FAST) released this information:

Birmelin began her swim at 12:05 a.m. EST at Shakespeare Beach in Dover, England and arrived 11:36 a.m. EST the same day on the sandy beach of Wissant, France. While the English Channel is 21 miles, she actually swam 28 land miles (24 nautical miles), due to the tides. Her official recorded time is 11 hours, 31 minutes and 7 seconds, which is faster than her anticipated time of 13 hours and the 414th fastest time out of 1,651 solo swims. 

Birmelin was escorted by a pilot boat, the Louise Jane, with her husband Noah Birmelin, her aunt Lynn Frikker and friends from her Livonia-based swim club, FAST, Karen Rosinski and Cheryl Machovec Dehn supplying food and hot liquids during her monumental swim.

“I couldn’t do this without a cable-strength support system," Birmelin said. "My support crew on the boat never took their eyes off of me, especially when I started my swim in dark of early morning. They always knew what to say to keep me going. I didn’t bring people with me who would tell me it’s okay to get out of the water."

Challenges during the swim included water temperatures that ranged from 56-63 degrees Fahrenheit, strong currents, jelly fish and sharing the water with big ships – the English Channel is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. 

At hours three through four, Birmelin endured water temperatures that dropped from 63 to 56-58 degrees Fahrenheit. At one point, the boat captain logged that she said, "I can't be this cold for nine more hours!" 

Official English Channel swimming rules allow companions to accompany the swimmer after the first two hours. Noah Birmelin and friend Karen Rosinski donned wet suits and fins to stay alongside her, encouraging her to increase her stroke count (strokes/minute) to stay warm. 

“So many people back home were hopeful of my success. Thoughts of them – and a warm blanket and socks – helped propel my every stroke,” Jenny Birmelin said.

When Birmelin reached shallow water at the French coastline, she crawled about six feet to make sure she cleared the water, all while in tears. 

"Even though the boat co-captain was telling me to stand-up, I was concerned about collapsing after being horizontal in the water for so long," she said. "I finally put one foot down, then the other, and wobbled like Bambi before coming to a full stand."

Noah Birmelin exited the water behind her. They embraced while the crew sounded the horn and waved the American flag. Birmelin also celebrated by waving the flag of her alma mater, Michigan State University, and the Detroit Tigers flag. 

Once back in England, Birmelin signed the wall at White Horse Pub in Dover, England, and included a free-hand drawing of the Detroit Tiger’s Old English D. Signing the pub wall is a tradition of those who successfully swim the English Channel.

"Swimming the English Channel represents another life goal that I set, worked toward and reached," Birmelin said. "You always need to be ‘in pursuit’. That is how I’ve always lived my life."

To learn more about Birmelin's history-making swim, visit jennybirmelin.com