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Woman Begins Historic Sacramento-To-San Francisco Bay Swim

SACRAMENTO (CBS SF) – A veteran long-distance swimmer began her attempt to be the first person to swim non-stop from Sacramento to the San Francisco Bay early Friday.

Kim Chambers, who was the first woman to swim from the Farallones to the Golden Gate, will not take any breaks during the 93-mile swim and is not wearing a wetsuit.

As of noon Friday, GPS tracking showed Chambers swimming in the Sacramento River near the Oak Hall Bend in Sacramento.

Chambers said it will take her at least 45 hours to arrive at Belvedere in Marin County, and that learning to function with sleep deprivation is part of her training.

A former competitive rower at Cal, Chambers took up long distance swimming six years ago after suffering a life-threatening injury.

"Since my previous swims have mostly been in large bodies of water, this will be a completely different kind of challenge, mentally and physically," she said in a prepared release. "With that being said, it pales in comparison to what many of our veterans and service members face for a lifetime."

Chambers, who works at Adobe, has been collecting donations for the swim to be divided up between several of her favorite charities including Warrior Canine Connection -- an organization that utilizes dogs to help wounded warriors reconnect with their lives and their families.

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