CYPRESS, Texas -
It's a test of endurance that's become so popular there's often a two year long wait list, yet finishing the challenge is rare. Only 1,400 people have ever swum the English Channel, far fewer than the amount of people who've climbed Mount Everest.
Day after day she sees families who want to help their pets but can't because of the cost. Cypress resident Brittany King will now test her limits to try the marathon swim.
"Now, well, I'm swimming the English Channel," said King.
Just like everything before, this one is for charity. King is Dr. King, a veterinarian in Cypress for Banfield Pet Hospital.
King first made waves when she was just eight-years-old. Since then she's finished an Ironman, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and run five marathons, including one on the steps of the Great Wall of China.
"That was hard. You think running a marathon is hard, try on the steps of the Great Wall of China. Technically one of the hardest marathons you can do," said King.
Each challenge has led to this moment, the 21-mile swim of King's lifetime.
"I think it was mid-Spring, and I had a college student come in. He'd seen a Schnauzer hit on the side of 290. She was dragging herself off the freeway. He brought her to me, I took x-rays. She had two broken back legs, completely fractured," said King.
King said the dog would have been put down had she not been able to tap into the Banfield Charitable Trust, a fund for emergency care.
"I rechecked her about a month ago, and she came running to me from the back of the clinic, completely healthy two surgeries later. That's what it's all about. That was the defining moment of my career," said King.
King's calling her challenge Laps of Love. This week, FOX 26 anchor and reporter Sally MacDonald joined King for her final swim before heading to the high seas.
King works out at 288 Lake, Houston's premier open water training facility.
"I've been swimming 25,000 to 30,000 meters a week, running 30-40 miles a week, just full overall physical conditioning."
The channel conditions won't be so favorable. The water temperature is 55 degrees and swimmers aren't allowed to wear wetsuits. Each swimmer who tries it is allowed one support boat.
"You can't touch the boat so your support crew either tosses you stuff in the net or hands a long pole with a cup on the end that has different things in there," said King.
Records don't matter. Survival does. King will give as much of herself as she can for animals who need a second chance.
She could begin her swim as early as 2:00 a.m. England time, meaning she would swim at night with glow sticks attached to her body.
Update: Because of delays and bad weather, King will not be able to swim at 2 a.m. She'll try again the following week.
