Diana Nyad, 64, is an inspirational example of human endurance. As an older woman, out lesbian and amazing athlete, she blows my mind! Diana Nyad just made the swim from Cuba to Florida WITHOUT STOPPING!!!

As she arrived on the beach yesterday afternoon, Diana was greeted by hundreds of cheering supporters, many of whom waved rainbow flags.

For those of you who’d like a chance to meet Diana in person, come join me on the Olivia Ixtapa trip this coming November 2-9, 2013.

From The New York Times:

The 64-year-old endurance swimmer emerged dazed and sunburned from the surf on Smathers Beach in Key West, Fla., just before 2 p.m. on Monday after nearly 53 hours in the ocean, a two-day, two-night swim from her starting point in Havana. She had survived the treacherous Florida Straits, a notorious stretch of water brimming with sharks. jellyfish, squalls and an unpredictable Gulf Stream. And she became the first person to do so unaided by the protection of a shark cage.

It was her fifth attempt, coming after four years of grueling training, precision planning and single-minded determination. Her face scorched and puffy from so many hours in the salt water, she leaned on one of her friends and said from the beach:

“I have three messages. One is we should never, ever give up. Two is you never are too old to chase your dreams. Three is it looks like a solitary sport, but it takes a team.”

http://youtu.be/hvTV-WiQbqw

More on Diane Nyad:

In 1979, Diana Nyad stroked her way to the longest swim in history, for both men and women. The distance was 102.5 miles–from the island of Bimini to the Florida shore–and that incredible record still stands today. Diana was front page news throughout the Western world, the lead story for Walter Cronkite on the CBS Evening News, and many times guest of The Tonight Show. For ten years (1969-1979) Diana was the greatest long-distance swimmer in the world. She broke numerous world records, including the 50-year-old mark for circling Manhattan Island (7hrs., 57 min.) in 1975. In 2006, Martina Navratilova served to induct her friend Diana into the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame. As a journalist, Diana is heard by eight million people each week on National Public Radio. She is a columnist each Thursday on Los Angeles KCRW’s edition of “All Things Considered”. Diana has also carved herself an illustrious 30-year career as a sports television personality, working on camera for ABC’s Wide World of Sports, FOX SPORTS, the Outdoor Life Network, and CBS Sunday Morning. She has also written three books (Other Shores, Basic Training for Women, The Boss of Me) and speaks three foreign languages fluently.