Whether it’s the length of Lake Geneva or endless laps of Windermere, endurance swimmer Sam Farrow is no stranger to big challenges. She’s also a parent, a coach, and a quiet force of motivation for the people around her. We caught up with Sam to talk about long swims, mental strength, and post-swim pizza. 

Coffee & Connection

Is there a particular moment or setting that comes to mind when you think of your most memorable coffee?
My favourite coffee spot is on the patio at The Farm Club in the summer. I coach swimming in the lake in the morning and then spend a few hours sitting with friends in the sun talking about life and drinking Kickback Coffee. It always feels like a little oasis.

Swimming & the Outdoors

The Farm Club offers an incredible setting for open water swimming–what’s going through your mind when you're deep into a long swim—what keeps you focused, calm, or moving forward?
I like to break any swim down into small sections. Never look beyond the section that you’re on otherwise it can feel overwhelming and unmanageable. Going into Geneva last year I told myself it wasn’t a 70km swim, it was 7 x 10kms and I’ve done hundreds of 10kms. On the day we just ticked off each 10km. When we got to 50km and 10km felt too big, we switched and focussed on each 5km. It’s important to keep focussed on how far you’ve come, not how far you have left to go.

Do you have any pre or post-swim rituals that help you stay grounded?
Pre-swim I focus on visualising the swim. I’ll spend weeks before picturing the end of the swim—you have to know what that’s going to look like and know you can 100% get there. If there’s any doubt when you enter the water, you’ve already lost the mental battle.

I do some gentle yoga flows in the days leading up to the swim—it’s important to keep your body moving and release any tension from the nervous energy. You don’t always know exactly when a swim is going to start due to weather conditions, so you have to keep your mind calm and body ready.

Our post-swim ritual has become pizza! It started in 2023 on my very first ultramarathon swim, and we’ve had pizza after every big swim since.

The Record Attempt

I'm a big pizza fan and will definitely take that ritual into my next challenge. Last year you took on an incredible swimming challenge—can you tell us a bit about what you were aiming to accomplish?
Last year I swam the length of Lake Geneva—72.8km. I was attempting to become the fastest British female. The record stood at 28 hours and 12 minutes. My previous longest swim was 37km, so it was going to be a huge challenge.

We had no idea how the second half of the swim would go. I knew I was swimming well as we approached sunrise and I could see my crew were getting excited, but I’d made the decision before the swim to never ask about time.

As I landed on the beach at Bains des Pâquis, I was absolutely blown away to hear that not only had I beaten the British record, but I’d completed the swim in 22 hours 48 minutes—I was the fastest female to swim Lake Geneva by well over 2.5 hours.

That is incredible!! What made you want to take on something that ambitious?
I love picking a challenge that sounds impossible when you first think of it. We’re much more capable than we think, and it really is mind over matter with ultramarathon sports.

There’s an incredible movement around all endurance sports right now, with people really pushing the boundaries of what we thought was possible. I find that exciting.

I have two young children and I think it’s so important for them to see how strong they can be—and that they can achieve anything if they’re willing to put the work in.

Juggling a family must make training difficult, what did your preparation look like, physically and mentally?
My preparation was a bit of a rollercoaster—but that’s life. I had a solid four-month training block to build my speed and fitness, but then I started a new job and we had the summer holidays to contend with.

Juggling training with working and parenting as a single mum is difficult. I don’t always get the miles done, but that’s where mental preparation becomes really important.

I had to rely on the knowledge that I was fit and injury-free. I planned for every possible issue—and if it was within our control, we had a solution packed. Every box was mentally ticked weeks before we landed in Geneva.

Was there a moment during the attempt that really stands out—something you’ll always carry with you?
I’d been swimming for about 14 hours and the sun was setting ahead of us. The Alps were on my left, and as I breathed to my right and looked at the boat, the crew were stood on the roof dancing to a playlist I had made—but couldn’t hear.

It was a real wow moment. I felt incredibly privileged to have that experience with some of my closest friends on the boat.

Adventure, Balance & What’s Next

At Kickback, we talk about Adventure all the time–What does adventure mean to you?
For me, adventure means team. I do a solo sport—I’m the one in the water—but I’m never alone.

I have a crew looking after me, watching me, feeding me. They’re part of the planning process. They help decide what swims I do and how we approach them. They motivate me to train when I don’t want to. They celebrate the wins and pick me up after the disappointments.

I hope we get to go on many more adventures in lots of new places—and break a few more records together.

How do you balance your drive to take on big challenges with the rest of your life?
Having the kids keeps me grounded and gives me balance. It would be very easy to get carried away and plan swim after swim, but I’ve learnt to appreciate the downtime in between.

It gives me time to process the previous swim, check in with my mental health, and ride the emotions that often hit after the event.

I’d love to be a professional athlete and have the time to focus on training full-time—it would be exciting to see what I could achieve. But for now, I do what I can with what I have.

Are there any new goals or wild ideas forming in your mind for the months ahead?
In July this year, we’ve planned a swim with no defined distance. I’ll be completing continuous lengths of Windermere (17km) until we make the call to stop.

I’ve got a few milestones in mind. A 24-hour swim is the first, which would put me in the elusive 24hr club. 100km is also a pretty nice marker...

Final Thoughts

If you could share a coffee with anyone, anywhere—who would it be, and where would you be?
I would love to have a coffee with Sarah Thomas at her local lake. She’s an absolute legend in open water swimming. She holds many world records for her incredible long swims but also seems like the most down-to-earth, normal person.