During a leisurely swim in Lake Tahoe in 2005, John and Matt decided to kick it up a notch. Thus was born the "Tahoe UltraSwim," a ten-day, 60-mile relay-style swim circumnavigation of Lake Tahoe, during which Matt and John camped beside the lake and carried their camping gear and food with them in their kayak. Furthermore, Matt and John used this record-setting event to raise money for charity. Since then, the "SwimAnything Team" has expanded to include other like-minded swimmers, and is on the lookout for challenges and charities to consider. If you are interested in joining or have a suggestion, please email info@swimanything.com.
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Matt Evans
Matt was an All-American breaststroker at Kingwood High School and Princeton University. But his specialty was sprinting for 25 seconds - not swimming for 10 hours. When he's not remaking himself as a distance swimmer, Matt is working for his solar energy startup, Banyan Energy (www.banyanenergy.com).
He can also be found hiking,windsurfing,kitesurfing,backcountry snowboarding and doing triathlons (he competed in the World Triathlon Championships in 2003 & 2004). He co-founded the Berkeley MBA Triathlon club, is a member of Powerbar Team Elite, and makes his own wine. Swimanything Team 2006, 2007, 2008.
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John Evans
John began swimming competitively at age 5. He swam for Princeton's varsity team after earning several All-American awards for high school swimming. John currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona with his wife and daughter and is an attorney in the corporate and securities group at the law firm of Lewis and Roca LLP.
In addition to spending time with his wife and daughter, John enjoys swimming masters, competing in triathlons and playing with his dog, Ned Kelly, a rescued border collie. SwimAnything Team 2006, 2007.
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Ken Wallace
Ken is the trigeek of the group. Ken completed his first official triathlon in 2001 and has competed in countless subsequent races, most recently finishing 47th overall at the 2008 Ford Ironman Coeur D'Alene in 10:04. He has also completed Ironman Lake Placid and Ironman Canada as well as more adventurous events such as Survival of the Shawangunks and the World's Toughest Half. Ken's penchant for a challenge led him to join Gordo Byrn and Scott Molina for Epic Camp France in 2006.
Ken works for Industry Ventures to support his training and racing habit. Ken is a PowerBar team elite member, co-founded the Haas Triathlon club, served as the Education Director for the UC Berkeley triathlon team and was a triathlon coach with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training in New York. SwimAnything Team 2007, 2008.
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Adam Brink
Adam was part of the support crew for last year's Tahoe swim, and he could not pass up the opportunity to be a part of this great cause and test himself physically and mentally this year. Having completed an Ironman triathlon seven weeks before, he expects to be in good form for this year's swim. His athletic background includes two years of swimming at the collegiate level, two Ironman triathlons and 20+ triathlons. Adam is especially proud to be undertaking this challenge alongside his wife, Kristin, who has been his training partner for many years. SwimAnything Team 2007*, 2008.
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Kristin Brink
Growing up in Texas, Kristin spent a lot of time in the water, not swimming competitively but perfecting her swan dives, water skiing and teaching swimming to 3-5 year olds. In the past seven years she has focused on triathlons, completing 2 Ironman triathlons, 10 half Ironman triathlons and was awarded USAT All-American in 2007. When she is not competing in triathlons, she works in Finance for The Clorox Company and enjoys hiking, skiing (water and snow), traveling and being in the outdoors. Kristin is especially excited to participate in the Tahoe swim with her husband and coach, Adam. SwimAnything Team 2007*, 2008.
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Christine Vleck
Christine is a relative newcomer to the sport of swimming. Growing up she played basketball and was a first team all conference softball pitcher, sports that don't exactly translate into a good stroke. But her dedication to swimming - as demonstrated by lost swim caps, worn out nose plugs, and her performances in the swim sections of the 2008 California 70.3 Ironman, Boise half-Ironman and Couer D'Alene Ironman triathlons - has resulted in rapid improvement.
An avid runner and pilates devotee she also enjoys hiking and healthy cooking. Plus, she can still throw a mean knuckleball which could come in handy. She completed her MBA at Berkeley in May 2008 and works in marketing at Del Monte Foods. SwimAnything Team 2008.
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Jessica Johnston
Having grown up on Cape Cod, Jessica spent most of her childhood in, on, or surrounded by water. Despite her love of swimming and sailing, Jess found her calling on dry land. After being ranked among Massachusetts' top high-school runners for four years, Jessica competed at Middlebury College, where she was an All-American runner. This year, Jess combined swimming and running (and begrudgingly, biking) to compete at Collegiate Triathlon Nationals, where she helped the UC Berkeley team take home the Championship title.
When she's not training or taking classes at Haas School of Business, Jess enjoys hiking, travel, and NASCAR. SwimAnything Team 2008.
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Kathy Dideum
Kathy has been a swimmer for as long as she can remember - she was an All-American high school swimmer in San Antonio and went on to compete for Texas A&M University. Since "retiring" from swimming in 2001, she has remained active in the sport through Masters Swimming and through her new interest in the sport of triathlon. Kathy works for Wells Fargo in the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition to her interest in swimming and triathlon, she loves to travel, learn new languages and meet new people. She has also recently taken up kayaking as a way to support her husband and fellow Tahoe swimmer, Patrick, in some of the ultra-distance open water swimming events he has planned over the next few years. SwimAnything Team 2008.
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Patrick Dideum
Patrick is well-qualified to attempt such a long-distance open water challenge as the Tahoe swim - while completing a decorated pool swimming career at Texas A&M University, he represented the United States in the 5K and 10K Open Water Swims at several consecutive World Championship competitions. He has swum in open water events in Spain, Cayman Islands, Japan, Switzerland, Bermuda and all over the United States. While he's admittedly more of a warm water swimmer, he is excited about the challenge this Tahoe swim presents! Patrick works at Broadlane Corporation in Oakland, and he is currently taking pre-requisite classes to eventually apply to medical school. He and wife Kathy are proud to be a part of this effort, and they're pleased that their years of swimming practices will pay off for such a great cause. SwimAnything Team 2008.
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Katie Dwyer
Katie started swimming competitively at age 8 in Pacific Palisades, CA. Since her “retirement” from the sport in 2002, Katie’s competitive swimming endeavors have been limited to a handful of triathlons, but she still toys with the notion of playing sharks and minnows semi-professionally. Katie is currently working towards her M.A. in Education at UC Berkeley. She has spent the summer hiking and traveling all over California and is excited to be part of the Swim Anything 2008 team. SwimAnything Team 2008.
[Katie is pictured here at right. At left is Maggie Corr, support team SwimAnything 2008]
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Earl Walton
Earl is a Head Triathlon coach for TriLife Coaching, NYC and a partner in ROLLDOG Communications, Inc. A swimmer in College, Earl has coached all levels of swimmers and occasionally gets in the water himself. SwimAnything Team 2007.
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Marty Matthies
Marty is a recent graduate of UC Berkeley. Marty was a captain of the 2006 NCAA champion Men’s Water Polo team at Berkeley and was named to the second team NCAA All America the same year. Marty grew up in Malibu and has made it his personal mission to keep “the Dude” out of his pleasant beach community. SwimAnything Team 2007.
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Ralph Fallant
Ralph's passion for swimming began at the age of 8. By high school he was an All-American water polo player and continued to play through college. A triathlon enthusiast, Ralph has competed in 3 Xterra World Championships in Maui and completed the Couer d'Alene Ironman and is training for his second. He is an avid environmental conservationist and is a design consultant for Akeena Solar in Los Gatos, California. He resides in Redwood City with his new bride, the lovely and talented Riette. SwimAnything Team 2007.