Stories from the Water
Where land meets water, an invitation lingers—not just between elements, but between versions of yourself. You could remain on shore—where it's safe, familiar, predictable. Or you could cross into the unknown.
Stories from the Water is where we dive into the courage it takes to begin, the resilience that keeps us moving forward, and the wisdom that only emerges in the space between.
If you have ever stood at the edge of a body of water and wondered what it would be like to swim to the other side, you're in good company. Whether you're a seasoned swimmer, aspiring adventurer, or just someone intrigued by the water's mysterious pull, allow these stories to reveal what lies beneath the surface—not just of the water, but of ourselves.
Stories from the Water
Kelley Prebil's Marathon Swim Story
Welcome to Marathon Swim Stories! I'm Shannon Keegan, swim coach at Intrepid Water.com. Are you ready to swim more efficently? Send me footage of you swimming and I'll analyze it for free! shannon@intrepidwater.com
After several months of being bed ridden and in a wheelchair, Kelley doesn't take her ability to physically move for granted! Naturally, she returned to her chlorine-y roots for rehabilitation, but it wasn't until a her first glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge from the water that she said goodbye to the black line!
In her own words: Kelley Prebil was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. One day she suddenly experienced severe hip pain and lost her ability to lift her right leg from previously undiagnosed dysplasia. She started marathon swimming after having two pelvic reconstructive surgeries to save both of her hip joints. Several months of being bedridden and in a wheelchair made her never want to take her ability to physically move for granted ever again. She believes that anyone can be a marathon swimmer as long as they have the desire to join this wonderful unique community of challenging oneself physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Preferring to be outdoors, she also spends a lot of her leisure time road cycling, mountain biking, caving, cross-country & alpine skiing, backpacking, hiking, and trail running.
She can usually be found swimming in the waters of San Francisco Bay, Lake Tahoe, Monterey Bay, or Laguna Beach or on her bike climbing a lot of Bay Area hills. That is, of course, when she's not working at her childhood dream employer of the California Academy of Sciences as a Senior Database Administrator.
You can find out more information about her from her website http://www.pearlsgirl.com or her blog at https://kelleyprebil.wordpress.com/
Questions, comments, feedback, or if you'd like to be a guest on Marathon Swim Stories, email me! mailto:shannon@intrepidwater.com
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Join a supportive group of limit pushers at The Marathon Swimming Collective
Music credit:
Epic Inspiration by Rafael Krux
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5447-epic-inspiration-
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Swimming sounds courtesy of swimmer Todd Lantry.
