Meet John Mathews: successful Wall Street banker, father to four amazing children, and the most well-liked person in Belvedere.

In 2006, John was not an avid swimmer. He had lifeguarded in high school, but never competed in swimming aside from racing his kids in the lagoon. He started training in 2006 with a few sessions in the lagoon, and within a few months had convinced a friend that they should attempt the world’s most challenging swim only two years later: the English Channel.

This is the story—told by four of his closest friends—of how John convinced a band of “swimmers” to join him on his journey to successfully cross the Channel with a five-person relay that was the fastest time in 2008. It follows the lasting impression John has left on every member of the team, with everything from the swimming adventures to shared Thanksgiving meals with his family.

The momentum John started by crossing the English Channel has sparked multiple world-record relay swims, a non-profit organization that teaches at-risk youth to become water-safe, marriages, and countless memories with the authors of this book and the entire community.

An unorthodox book about an unbelievable man.

John Mathews.