Having talked about Malala, who proved you were never too young to stand up for what you believe in, Diana Nyad shows us that you should never give up on your ambitions. A long distance swimmer who made her name in the 70s decided, in her 60s, to tackle that Cuba to Florida stretch she’d been itching to do. It would be her longest swim, she’d been attempting it since the age of 28 and no one had ever done it without a shark cage (which is a pretty terrifying caveat – not only is the distance and your body out to get you but so are some big fast bitey things. Personally, I prefer my motivation without teeth).
Diana Nyad talks with such warmth, energy and good humour that she’s now pretty high on my imaginary dinner party list. She doesn’t let you forget for a moment how hard the training and that final swim was, physically and emotionally, or how much help she had along the way. Her success was not some fairytale but the result of hard work, serious preparation, a talented team and (I think) a good dose of sheer bloody mindedness! This woman and her acheivements are legendary.
Muggins Here 