In the early morning hours of June 4, Julie Madison plunged into water to begin a marathon swim,  covering approximately 36 miles around Siesta Key. Eighteen hours, 12 minutes and 53 seconds later, she completed her challenge with fierce determination, coming out of the water at around 11pm. Supported by eight kayak teams, each made up of two volunteers, the 36-year-old swimmer overcame numerous challenges before reaching her goal. Born and raised in Connecticut, Madison started swimming at a very young age. “My mom was actually super afraid of the water so she made sure I got in lessons nice and early,” Madison recalls. Growing up, she swam recreationally, for USA Swimming and her high school team but by the time college rolled around, she didn’t find herself in the water much. After a few years away from the sport, however, she decided to get back into the pool. At first, she didn’t feel fast or strong, but continued to build speed and time with each session. When a fellow swimmer who noticed her progress suggested that she try open-water swimming, she was initially resistant. “I thought open-water swims were scary,” she says. “I was living in Connecticut so the water was cold but this other swimmer pushed me and eventually I gave in and then I just fell in love with it.” She spent the next two years working with other open water swimmers, learning the ins and outs of exploratory swimming and starting to get used to varied environments, including different currents, tides and water depth—swimming in deep water, but also in extremely shallow waters of only a foot and a half deep.

In November of 2022, after snowbirding here for a few years, the Connecticut swimmer decided to become a local. Here in Bradenton, Madison started her own business, Top Tier K9-Bradenton, a company known for its expertise in training foundation dogs and service dogs. As owner and trainer, Madison works to produce the highest quality working dogs, capable of performing a variety of tasks to aid individuals and organizations, ensuring that each dog is prepared to meet the specific needs of their handlers, including veterans with PTSD. 

With her marathon June 4th swim, Madison combined her love for open-water swimming, her experience in training service dogs and her interest in helping veterans overcome PTSD. Not only did she set a record for the distance around Siesta Key, but her achievement is part of an inspiring campaign by SOF Missions (a nonprofit dedicated to combating the veteran suicide crisis by supporting veterans and their families), in partnership with Top Tier K9-Bradenton, to raise $250,000 to support veterans suffering from PTSD by providing them with specially trained service dogs.

Every member of Madison’s crew for the event was a volunteer, something that set her experience apart from most other long distance swims that are usually supported by professionals. “My team for this expedition was pretty much one hundred percent new to working with me, minus my dad who actually drove down from Connecticut to be a part of my swim. My kayak teams were amazing. They were there to guide me, get me food (which basically consisted of a liquid diet) and keep me safe,” she says.

While she did experience muscle fatigue and exhaustion, Madison is not ready to hang up her goggles anytime soon. “I really want to do it twice and do a double loop of which would actually set it for the longest circumnavigation in the world,” she shares.