On July 26, 2020, Rebecca “Becky” Thomson suffered cardiac arrest while attempting the Catalina Channel Swim — a marathon open water crossing from Catalina Island to the California mainland. After swimming for 17 hours, Thomson collapsed in the water. Despite the painstaking efforts of emergency responders and the medical staff at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, she succumbed to a devastating hypoxic brain injury and died Friday evening.
Her husband, Bo, along with her family and close friends, were able to bid farewell to Thomson during an honor walk through the hospital as she was taken to OneLegacy, where she donated her tissues and organs.
Thomson’s life was characterized by her smile, intelligence, kindness, quirkiness, loyalty, generosity, and sense of humor. She touched more lives than anyone could imagine, and to say she will be missed is an absolute understatement.
She was an inspiration to all at South City Y Masters. Warm, friendly, and always positive, Thomson was the epitome of fearlessness. Whether swimming around Manhattan, braving the ice-cold waters of Lake Memphremagog in Vermont in winter, or attempting the Catalina Channel, she embodied tenacity, courage, and grace. She was one of the most promising open water swimmers in New York State.
I hope that one day her family and friends find comfort in knowing that, through Becky’s selfless decision to donate her organs and tissues after death to help those in need, her legacy lives on, leaving behind an indelible mark in all their hearts and minds.
As someone who is also in the field of marathon swimming, I express a profound sense of loss at this death. I believe extensive research must be undertaken on the precautions and symptoms related to accidents in open water swimming.
Thomson previously shared this account of her marathon swimming:
“Two summers ago I was visiting my aunt and uncle, who have a house on Schroon Lake. We were debating how wide and how long the lake was. I swam across the lake and back in training for my second marathon swim that summer, Swim to the Moon, in Michigan, which was about a 5K. We mapped the length and saw that the lake was about 9 miles long. I remember thinking that with some training it might be within reach to swim the entire length. As far as any of us were able to determine, both through extensive internet searches and discussions with other lake residents, no one had swum the length of the lake.
“This year I was accepted into 20 Bridges and realized that swimming the length of Schroon Lake would be perfect training. I started talking with my uncle about how we could plan a swim and make it official. We put a team together to make the swim happen. Given that the team was new to marathon swimming, everyone carefully studied the rules and prior swims to make sure the documentation was accurate. The team did great. I was fed on time, got words of encouragement, and saw everyone cheering from the boat the whole time. Conditions were darn near perfect, though the wind picked up a bit about 4 hours in. Boat traffic was a bit of an issue, but for the most part we were able to navigate. It was sunny, clear, perfect lake temp, perfect air temp.
“I was supported with both a pontoon boat and a jet ski to make sure I was not in danger from boat traffic. There was one close call, apparently, but the boat finally decided to go around me.
“I did everything as close to my 20 Bridges swim plan as possible, including start time, sun protection, and feed plan and delivery method. Everything went great and it was a perfect day all around.
“Great day and I’m so glad I was able to do it! Thank you so much to my amazing team that made this happen — a huge team effort!”
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Harsh Thakor is a freelance journalist who swam the English Channel in 1988
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