She was doing it for charity.
I think it's admirable that she combined charitable efforts with her swimming, but someone who trains from the age of eight on has a drive to do the sport, and what the proceeds go to is secondary.
As I was reading the article, I was wondering what the annual cost is of the existence of the two separate Channel swimming organizations, the support system for the test swims and the actual crossing attempts, etc.
Add to that if Ms. Taylor (and others like her) had spent the same hours that she spent training over the decades working a job and donating that salary to charity.
I suspect one would find that all that would result in more money available to charities than what is pledged and given as a result of swims like this. That's another reason why the charitable endeavor is secondary to the athletic endeavor, which is the real driving force.
As I said, I think it's admirable that she used what she wanted to do any way to raise money for charity, and I'm sure she was a lovely person. But she died doing something she wanted to do, something to which she was driven from age eight, and that's a better death than is given to most.
How sad.
