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Elaine Kornbau Howley

@emkhowley

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Writer, editor, artist, marathon & ice swimmer, beer lover.

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The wait is over. The final Beyond The Breakers 2026 schedule is here!

On November 14th, open water swimmers, triathletes, coaches and crew from all over are coming together in Waltham, MA for a full day built around the sport we love. We're kicking things off at 9AM with a keynote from 1984 Olympic gold medalist and NBC Olympic broadcaster Rowdy Gaines, and the energy doesn't let up from there.

Across three rooms and 15 presentations, you'll hear from Olympian Joe Maloy on how to use the pack to your advantage, shark researcher Dr. Greg Skomal on what's really swimming beneath you, and experts on cold adaptation, shoulder health, nutrition, kayak support, open water safety and so much more. To close out the day, Sarah Thomas, the first person to swim the English Channel four times without stopping, joins Elaine Howley and Suzanne Martin for First Ladies Club: What It Takes to Do What's Never Been Done.

Whether you're getting ready for your first open water race or planning something nobody has ever tried, there's a session on this schedule with your name on it. Take a look at the full day below, then check each room's lineup so you can map out exactly where you want to be.

Read the full description of every presentation on our website

Which session are you most fired up for? Tell us in the comments!

See you Beyond The Breakers!

#BeyondTheBreakers #OpenWaterSwimming #OpenWaterSwimmer #Triathlete #SwimSummit Photo of the full BTB schedule

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One month from now, everyone who ever felt that pull will be standing in the same room. Some of you heard it from the water, some from the shore, and some from the boat.

You remember the first time. Maybe you were at the edge of cold, dark water with every reasonable part of your brain telling you to stay on shore. Maybe you were the one holding the feed bottle and the stopwatch, watching someone you love swim into something you couldn't see the end of.

It shows up in the middle of the night when you're researching swims you have no business attempting YET. It shows up when you take the long way home past the water, and every time someone asks why you do this and you realize the answer only makes sense to someone who already knows.

You're not chasing medals or fitness. You're chasing something on the other side of hard, and you've probably been doing it quietly, with a lot of people around you who don't quite get it.

That stops being a solo thing on November 14 and 15 at Bentley University in Waltham, MA. The summit brings 13+ sessions and Rowdy Gaines on the keynote stage, and the morning after, the clinic puts you in the water with coaches who live this sport!

Swimmer, triathlete, channel veteran, first-timer, crew, or coach, you belong in that room.

Only 2 clinic spots are left, and tickets are at the link in bio.

Thank you @sdowsa for the awesome background video!

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#BeyondTheBreakers #OpenWaterSwimming #Swimming #Triathlon #SwimCrew

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We are stoked to announce our Silver Partner: @massopenwater

The Massachusetts Open Water Swimming Association has been building a thriving open water community right here in New England for the past decade and a half. Founded by swimmers in 2010, the all-volunteer organization oversees a range of group and solo swim events that serve upwards of 200 swimmers every summer. From a 1-mile ocean introduction swim to solo marathon swims exceeding 24 miles, MOWSA has a swim for every body.

MOWSA's flagship event, the 8-mile Boston Light Swim, is the oldest marathon swim still running in the United States. First staged in 1907, this historic event offers cold water, variable conditions, and a hearty challenge to swimmers looking to level up in open water.

MOWSA also offers the Jim Doty Memorial 1- and 2-mile swim each June as an entry-level event to help newer swimmers get oriented to ocean swimming. The event honors Jim Doty, the legendary open water swimmer who revived the Boston Light Swim in the 1970s after a 30-year hiatus.

The 3.7-mile Egg Rock Scramble, which MOWSA revived in 2024, further builds confidence and skill as swimmers train for the Boston Light Swim, the English Channel, and other ultramarathon swims.

MOWSA offers solo swims ranging from 8 miles to 24 miles or more. With MOWSA's support, swimmers have connected lighthouses, circled much-loved islands, and crisscrossed the harbor to their heart's content.

MOWSA is proud to support Beyond the Breakers and to have the open water swimming world in our backyard for a weekend. We're pleased to share our knowledge and expertise and to meet and get to know new swimmy friends from all over.

Let's go swimming!

See you in a month!
Link in bio for tickets!

#openwaterswimming #coldwaterswimming #marathonswimming #wildswimming #beyondthebreakers A photo announcing mowsa as a silver sponsor

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Such a great time at the #nelmsc Hall of Fame & Awards Celebration. Pool Performance, Contributions, Lifesaver Award, Coach of the Year, Communications and Distinguished Service and more! These amazing men and women are so inspiring and so deserving of our recognition and gratitude. Thank you to @tracyswims for all her epic work setting up the celebration and being the best celebration partner ever!! Love you T! Thanks @kmeredithc for all of your great pics and videos! Best sport on the planet! @newenglandlmsc @newengland.masters @mastersswimming @greatbaymasters @kingsburymedfield

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What a day celebrating the people who make New England Masters Swimming so special. 💙🏊

Today’s NELMSC Awards & Hall of Fame Celebration brought our community together out of the pool to recognize extraordinary swimmers, coaches, volunteers, leaders, and contributors — people whose accomplishments and service have made a lasting impact on Masters swimming throughout New England.

Congratulations to all of our 2026 honorees! 🏆👏 And thank you to everyone who joined us today to celebrate them. Turns out we clean up pretty well when you get us out of our caps and goggles. 😉💙

#NELMSC #mastersswimming #halloffame #awards #swimcommunity

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SPEAKER SPOTLIGHT: ANDREW MALINAK

The Salish Sea is cold, remote, and not exactly what most people picture when they think of open water swimming. Andrew Malinak looked at it and saw potential.

For over a decade, Andrew has been the driving force behind open water swimming in the Pacific Northwest. He is the founder and president of the Northwest Open Water Swimming Association, a licensed captain who has piloted over 40 marathon swims, and the person who pioneered more than a dozen new open water routes in waters where swimming was once considered unthinkable.

He has been the captain, the crew, the observer, and sometimes the one in the water. He knows what it takes to make a dangerous idea into something safe, fun, and worth doing — and he knows what happens when the planning falls short.

At BTB 2026, Andrew joins the MOWSA Open Water Safety Panel moderated by Elaine Howley for a frank conversation about what it actually takes to keep swimmers safe. If you get in open water anywhere in this country, this is the panel you need to hear.

November 14, 2026 · Bentley University · Waltham, MA

🎟 Link in bio.

#BeyondTheBreakers #BTB2026 #OpenWaterSwimming #SwimSafety #swimming Head shot of Andrew malinak and a speaker announcement

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Olympian @joemaloy is helping to make the community who love to take on amazingly epic and sometimes weird challenges even better!

Come learn from Joe alongside our 18 other awesome speakers including Rowdy Gaines, Sarah Thomas, Dan Daly, Jennifer Brunelli and many more to help you reach your open water goals be they your first open water swim, triathlon or major channel! There is something for everyone!

Not only will you have the chance to learn from Joe on stage but he will also be in the water as one of our clinic coaches on November 15th!

Tickets are limited and going quickly so don't wait too long.

See you on November 14th!

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SPEAKER SPOTLIGHT: SUZANNE MARTIN

54 hours and 10 minutes. A non-stop four-way English Channel crossing. One of the most historic swims ever completed. Suzanne Martin was on that boat as the official observer, watching every stroke Sarah Thomas took from darkness to dawn and back again and helping Elaine Howley navigate the media storm that followed!

Suzanne is an investigative journalist, documentarian, open water swimmer, observer and crew member who has been on the water for some of the most significant swims in the sport. In November she launches Channel Stories, a documentary podcast about the English Channel as a living archive of human ambition.

At BTB 2026, Suzanne moderates First Ladies — a conversation with Sarah Thomas and Elaine Howley about what it actually takes to do something nobody has done before. The preparation, the doubt, the logistics, the crew, and the moment you decide to go anyway when there is no one ahead of you to follow.

She has been on that boat. She knows what that conversation is really about.

November 14, 2026 · Bentley University · Waltham, MA

🎟 Link in bio.

#BeyondTheBreakers #BTB2026 #OpenWaterSwimming #EnglishChannel #Swim Photo of Suzanne Martinez announcing her as a speaker for beyond the breakers 2025

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Two months out.

November 14th is coming and the room is filling up.

You do not have to be the fastest swimmer in the water. You do not have to have a channel crossing on your resume. You just have to feel that pull toward the open water and want to be around people who feel it too.

Rowdy Gaines on the keynote stage. 16 sessions from the best coaches, scientists, and swimmers in the sport. The BTB Swim Clinic in the water the morning after. And a room full of people who get it without you having to explain it.

Whether you are thinking about your first open water swim or you have been chasing big swims for decades, you belong in this room.

Two months. Bentley University. Waltham, MA.

Come find your people.

🎟 Link in bio.

#BeyondTheBreakers #BTB2026 #OpenWaterSwimming #swimming #SwimLife Photo of swimmers running into the water

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Lee Kaplan , 28 Miles , 20 Bridges 9 hours , 54 mins 🏁🏁

Huge Congrats Lee, you smashed it out of the Ball Park 🎉🎉🥳🥳🎊🎊

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Lee is about to land . EPIC EPIC . Massive congrats and huge thanks to John Hughes Kayak support LEGENDARY . WTG Team what a day #legend #enduranceathlete #kayakadventures #victory

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Lee’s in the Channel , we got some sporty wind against tide action …..Lee is steamrolling through these rollers 🌊🌊🌊🌊 Way to go Lee , you got this #yougotthis #fighter #enduranceathlete

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