record breaking athlete, inspirational speaker, leader and dreamer
 

“If I Can Do It, So Can You.”

Don’t let other people’s expectations of your failure undermine your goals.  In 2007, after a freak accident, medical experts told me that I had a 1% chance of walking unassisted again. Diagnosed with Acute Compartment Syndrome in my right leg, and a mere 30 minutes from amputation, I knew I had to prove all the doctors and surgeons wrong.

After two grueling years rehabilitating my leg, I ventured into the pool for my first swim since primary school. Little did I know that six years later in 2015, I would set a new world record becoming the 1st woman ever to swim from the Farallon Islands to the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco. While that was the first of many unknowns, it showed me the power in showing up and saying yes, especially in the face of fear. No matter who you are or what you want to do, there will be critics and there will be naysayers but you can't let it stop you from trying.  

While I didn't know it at the time, I often now say that my injury was the best thing to ever happen to me because it taught me that we are capable of far more than we could ever imagine. And the secret to all of this is that I didn't do it alone.  The key to achieving my goals has been the community I've surrounded myself with that has pushed, inspired and supported me every step of the way.

My mission is to inspire YOU to push past your own limits to find what you are capable of, beyond what you could possibly imagine. I'm not some super-star Olympic athlete, I'm just a woman who is unwilling to believe there is something I can't achieve if I put my mind to it - and I want you to know that you can do the same! 

 

 

Resilience.

“I went from thinking I would never walk again to swimming the Oceans Seven…”

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Records

New milestones set by Kim Chambers

Solo Swims

  • 1st woman to swim 30 miles from the Farallon Islands to San Francisco, 2015

  • 3rd woman (6th person ever) to complete the Oceans Seven challenge, 2014

  • 1st New Zealander (26th person) to swim the length of Lake Tahoe (21 miles), 2012 

  • 1st New Zealander (28th person) to swim from Molokai to Oahu (27 miles), 2012

Team Swims

  • 1st team to swim from USA to Mexico, 2017

  • 1st team to swim from Jordan to Israel across Dead Sea, 2016

  • Longest relay swim: 91 hours, 500kms, 2015

  • 1st relay team to swim from San Francisco to Farallon Islands, 2011

  • 1st all-female relay team to swim from San Francisco to Farallon Islands, 2011

 

Oceans Seven Challenge

3rd woman (6th person in history) to complete the challenge in 2014.

  • North Channel -- 21 miles -- 1st New Zealander, 2014

  • Tsugaru Strait -- 15 miles -- 1st New Zealander, 2014

  • English Channel -- 21 miles -- 15th New Zealander, 2013

  • Catalina Channel -- 20.2 miles -- 2nd New Zealander, 2013

  • Strait of Gibraltar -- 11 miles -- 1st New Zealand woman, 2013

  • Molokai Channel -- 26 miles -- 1st New Zealander, 2012

  • Cook Strait, NZ -- 17 miles -- 83rd person ever to complete this swim, 2012

Halberg Awards New Zealand
Sportswoman of the Year,
Nominee 2015

Named after Olympic champion Sir Murray Halberg (ONZ) the Halberg Awards is the New Zealand's pre-eminent event to honor and  celebrate the country's sporting excellence.

In 2015, Kim was nominated for the Sportswoman of the Year 2015.

 

Notable Awards

2019:

International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, Inductee. First New Zealand woman.

2015:

Halberg Awards New Zealand, Sportswoman of the Year, Nominee

Marathon Swimmers Federation, Female Solo Swim of the Year, Nominee

World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year, Nominee

2014:

World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year, Nominee

Pacific Masters Swimming Achievement Award



2013:

World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year, Nominee

MSF Global Marathon Swimming Awards: Barra Award, Nominee

2012:

Most Inspirational Swimmers, Night Train Swimmers, Dolphin Club of San Francisco

World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year: Night Train Swimmers, Nominee

2011:

Most Inspirational Swimmer, Dolphin Club of San Francisco