That's right folks, it's 7:30 and Man-Mountain Marilyn (should be woman-mountain but it sounds better the other way) has less than 2 miles to go. The sun continues to shine on her and she should touch French soil before it sets over the atlantic. One of the advantages of swimming the English Channel is that on a clear day you can see the finish line from the time you enter the water in Dover (unless it is dark of course). The end is definitely in sight now for Marilyn as the white cliffs of Calais will be towering over her and her support crew. She has been in the water for a little over 15 hours and should finish in under 17 hours which is much better than her test swim crossing of Lake Simcoe (about 19 hours). All the long hours of training and personal sacrifice has paid off in spades and another milestone is about to be achieved. What an amazing accomplishment and only Marilyn knows what will be next (Double crossing of the channel maybe or how about Cuba to Key West Florida?). We will have to wait for Marilyn to decide but my money says she won't stop here.
I'll be back soon for the count-down to success so keep your eyes glued to your computer screen, just now I have to run and help the park management find a copy of Oh Canada to play at the flag raising. They seem to think that God Save the Queen will do so I need to set them straight. Same Queen different anthem!
Marilyn's swim across the English Channel 2011
"For me, marathon swimming is the ultimate mental, physical and emotional challenge".
Diana Nyad, Other Shores, 1978
I've always loved swimming. I've been swimming since age 2, competitively since age 13. I'm now 54 and hoping to become the oldest Canadian female to swim the English channel; 33.2 kilometres from Samphire Hoe Beach, Dover, England to Cap Griz Nez, France. I swam Lake Ontario from Niagara on the Lake to Toronto in 1983 and from Toronto to Port Dalhousie (north to south against the powerful Niagara River current) in 1984. I was only the second person to swim Lake Ontario north to south, Diana Nyad being the first. The above quote is one of my favourites, especially since Diana at 61 was also recently trying to prove that older athletes can still achieve big goals.
Why the English Channel? I was quoted in the Toronto Star in 1984 saying my next big swim would be the English Channel. But then life happened, I got married, had 3 boys, but always kept swimming at least twice a week. Last summer, Debbie Bang challenged me to swim 26 kilometres in Muskoka. When I finished it, I felt I could have swum further. When Colleen Shields at 58 breezed across Lake Ontario last August (but was foiled by weather at the very end), I realized I could still do another big swim at my age. Swimmers in Dover say the Channel is the Everest of swims. I'm not so sure, people have accomplished longer and colder swims in other parts of the world. For me, there is something about ocean swimming that is the ultimate. The English Channel is part of world history and swimming tradition. My grandmother lived in England and took me to the beach on the channel, so it is also nostalgia and familiar. What really cemented the idea in my mind is pacing Kim Middleton across the channel in 1989. I just "woke up" last September and realized time was running out.
So I have been inspired and supported by a great many people. (Thank you!) In doing this swim I would like to inspire others to dream big and go out and achieve their goals. But, in this journey I have learned that reaching smaller training goals along the way has also inspired others. Swimming Lake Simcoe from Barrie to Orillia, 35 kilometres in 18 hours and 44 minutes is the biggest example of this, especially since the water was 13 degrees Celsius for the first 3 hours. Even if the channel weather foils me on August 21, 22, or 23, it was worth doing.
I am also pleased to be able to use this opportunity to raise money for the Good Shepherd Centres in Hamilton. They run a network of shelters and services for troubled youth, abused women and children, the dying, the mentally and physically challenged, the hungry and the homeless. They strive to support people through crisis and help them re-establish healthy and productive lives. They have been very good to my patients over the years and for this I am grateful. Please support my swim by donating to the Good Shepherd centres. Thank you. http://www.goodshepherdcentres.ca/News/events.htm
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