2008 Lake Tahoe 45-mile Swim Challenge
At dawn on Saturday, August 9, 2008, we will begin swimming a 22.5 mile "diagonal" from the northeast corner to the southwest corner of Lake Tahoe. After camping by the lakeshore at Emerald Bay, we will wake up early to swim the return diagonal, another 22.5 miles. We will swim in teams of three to complete this 45 mile double diagonal, and each athlete will swim approximately 15 miles during the two days.
Swimming long distances across Lake Tahoe presents unique challenges. The air is thin at the 6,225 foot elevation; the afternoon winds that blow across the lake often transform it into a roiling sea of whitecaps; and, most disconcerting, the crystal-clear water of the lake sometimes causes vertigo: a swimmer’s eyes find nothing to focus on amidst the sunbeams plunging into the blue depths.
Because of these challenges, there have been only 10 successful official attempts to swim the full 20-mile length of Lake Tahoe in one day - that's about the same distance as the well-known English Channel swim. Although we are swimming as a relay, we are swimming farther, and we're doing it twice in two days!
Through this long-distance swim, we are raising donations for the National Brain Tumor Society, a cause which is very important to us. This year's swim will honor the memory of Anna Kate Lee (May 31, 2008 - July 11, 2008) who passed away from a rare congenital brain tumor. All donations raised will be directed towards pediatric brain tumor research and awarenes. Your support is greatly appreciated - please click here to see pictures of Anna Kate and to make a donation.
9/1/08 Update: A perfect storm of weather, equipment and wildlife problems prevented us from completing our swim on the planned August 10 date at Lake Tahoe, but we did manage to complete the swim on Saturday, August 30 with some multi-hour marathon swim legs! Thank you for your support!
We would like to thank the companies that are contributing to our success in this challenge. Sea Eagle designs and sells tough and versatile inflatable rafts and kayaks that are great for anything from whitewater rafting to sailing. We've been using their kayaks to explore Lake Tahoe for years. Sun protection will be very important as we will be on the water for over 20 hours in two days - for that, KINeSYS has us covered. Powerbar products will help to meet the extreme nutritional demands for swimmers doing 45 miles of swimming, we especially will rely on their gels, beverage system, Performance Bars, and new electrolyte sticks. In addition, Barney Butter 90 calorie almond butter packets will provide quick, great tasting, and nutritious fuel. Mary's Gone Crackers and Pamela's Products, will provide us with delicious snacks during the swim, and Galaxy Granola will provide the breakfasts that get us up and going. Thanks to all of our sponsors for supporting us!
