When Asha Allen met the widows of San Pedro she knew that helping them was a cause worth swimming for.
Asha began swimming competitively when she was 12 and developed a love for the sport - and was good! - but walked away from her Olympic dreams before turning 18. A quarter of a century later, Asha has reclaimed her aspiration to push herself beyond ordinary athletic limits. While she can no longer aim to set speed records, she enjoys testing what she's made of by swimming long distances in wild open seas!
Combining her love of the water with a deep desire to help others she successfully swam the famed English Channel in August 2016 crossing from England to France to raise support for needy and elderly widows in Guatemala. The $12 000 needed to purchase a parcel of land for growing food was raised from this swim. In 2015 Asha completed two 21+-mile marathon swims. The first was the length of Lake Tahoe, in fresh water at high elevation, followed by a crossing of the Catalina Channel from Catalina Island to Los Angeles.
Asha swimming in Lake Atitlan with San Pedro la Laguna in the background.