Mallory Mead grew up in Plymouth, Indiana. Mallory first tried out for the swim team when she was four years old and after doggie paddling around for awhile was told to try again the following year. She came back with a vengeance and made the team, then won the team’s MVP award two years later. Over the course of her pool swimming career, Mallory swam for several local swim clubs, and went on to swim varsity for Western Kentucky University. When she was ten she signed up for the Zone Championships half-mile open water swim on a whim, and though she placed close to the bottom of 200 or so swimmers in her 200 freestyle, she placed 5^th in the open water event.

 

In 2002, a 16-year-old Mallory swam the 7.8 mile Little Red Lighthouse Swim held in New York City in the Hudson River placing first among the women and third overall. At the time it was her longest swim ever and her very first salt water swim. Because of her performance in the Little Red Lighthouse Swim, in 2004 Mallory was accepted into the 28.5 mile Manhattan Island Marathon Swim (MIMS). In spite of being inexperienced and by far the youngest participant in an elite international field, Mallory placed fourth overall and third amongst the women with a time of 7 hours and 44 minutes.

 

Between 2004 and 2007, Mallory honed her skills with various lesser-known swims across the country. In 2007, Mallory placed third overall and won the women’s race in the 8 mile Boston Light Swim held under the worst conditions in the history of the event. After braving 60-degree water, 25-30 mph winds, and 4-5 foot waves for just under 4 hours, Mallory knew she was prepared to take on the Mount Everest of open water Swimming, the English Channel.

 

 

In 2009, after a year of disappointments and cancelled swims, Mallory recommitted herself to the sport and placed 1^st in her age group and 2^nd Woman Overall at the USMS 10k Open Water Nationals.

 

 With the sponsorship of The Endurance Trust, Mallory’s next challenge is to take on the Ocean’s Seven, Marathon Swimming’s version of the Seven Summits. Both of Mallory’s swims for 2010, Catalina Channel in California and the Molokai Channel in Hawaii, are Ocean’s Seven swims. Add to that the English Channel, and Mallory will have completed three out of the seven swims. After the completion of the Catalina Channel, Mallory will also join the ranks of Triple Crown Swimmers (currently 30 in the world) for having swam Catalina Channel, the English Channel, and the Manhattan Island Marathon swim.

 

Mallory currently resides in Indianapolis, Indiana with her filmmaker husband, Morgan, and their two cats, Mimi and Winston. In October 2009 Mallory will begin a 10-month term of service with the Americorp through a program called Public Allies, a non-profit leadership training and community service program.