Catherine Breed

Catherine Breed
Headshot of Catherine Breed, facing left, with swim goggles around her neck
Breed in 2024
Personal information
Born (1993-03-22) March 22, 1993 (age 33)
Height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Websitehttps://www.catherinebreed.com/
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle
Medal record
Representing  United States
Women's swimming
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place2011 Guadalajara200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place2011 Guadalajara4x200 m freestyle

Catherine Breed (born March 22, 1993) is an American open-water swimmer.

Career

Breed swam at Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, California from 2007 to 2011, earning 21 All-American honors over four years. She was a collegiate swimmer at the University of California, Berkeley, where she primarily swam freestyle.

After graduating in 2015, Breed joined the Dolphin Club of San Francisco. In 2017, she swam the length of Lake Tahoe in 8 hours and 56 minutes, breaking a record set in 1987. She has completed marathon swims of the English Channel, the North Channel, and the 20 Bridges Swim (a 30 mile circumnavigation of Manhattan).

In 2023, Breed became the first person to swim from the Golden Gate Bridge to Half Moon Bay, covering 27 miles.

In 2026, she announced a plan to become the first person to swim the entire length of California, covering 900 miles of the Pacific coast from north to south. She will be supported by a team of four following in a sailboat and plans to swim 10–15 miles per day for an estimated total of 80–126 days. Breed and her team had been planning the attempt since 2023.

Personal life

Breed studied integrative biology at the University of California, Berkeley, graduating in 2015. She planned to attend medical school before switching to focus on open-water swimming. She previously worked at Intuitive Surgical, an American biotechnology company.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Catherine Breed - Women's Swimming & Diving - California Golden Bears Athletics". Cal Bears. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 Romeo, Nick (9 June 2026). "She's Set to Swim the Entire California Coast (Sharks Permitting)". New York Times. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  3. ↑ Skolnick, Adam (10 May 2023). "An Unexpected Open Water Challenge: 40 Miles Across Arizona". New York Times. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  4. ↑ Frodyma, Terin (1 June 2026). "Catherine Breed to Swim Entire 900-Mile California Coast with Hopes of Becoming the First Ever". Swim Swam. Retrieved 9 June 2026.