Monday 24 February 2020

Wonderful time in North Bay

I had a wonderful time in North Bay yesterday, meeting the volunteers and youth in the Trackers program. The volunteer instructors were smiling as much as the kids!
Another article about my upcoming swim
https://www.kissnorthbay.com/2020/02/24/marathon-swimmer-to-cross-lake-nipissing-this-summer/


Wednesday 19 February 2020

Visit to the Nipissing Trackers

  The Nipissing Trackers is a volunteer program that offers a skiing program for disabled youth. The Trackers provide volunteer instructors who have to take specialized training to learn how to provide the best skiing experience and how to best connect with the disabled youth. Laurentian Ski Hill is also a sponsor. The Nipissing Association for Disabled Youth (NADY) www.nady.ca is the umbrella organization that manages the donations.
  Since the Taylor family of North Bay has been involved with the Nipissing Trackers for over 25 years, with Rick Taylor a past coordinator for the Trackers, and since Rick will be my lead boat captain, and since I am also a skier, I am excited to be able to use this opportunity to fund raise for this very good cause.
  I'm going to Laurentian Ski Hill on February 23rd to meet the Nipissing Trackers and help with the publicity and fundraising.
https://www.facebook.com/NipissingTrackers/?utm_source=baytoday.ca&utm_campaign=baytoday.ca&utm_medium=referral
The Taylors have already spread the word and there's an article in the North Bay newspaper.
https://www.baytoday.ca/local-news/cross-nipissing-swim-planned-for-july-by-hall-of-fame-swimmer-2104031

Summary of Marilyn's swimming achievements

I swam Lake Ontario the easy way (south to north) in 1983 and the hard way (north to south) in 1984, becoming the first person to have swum it in both directions.
I came "out of retirement" to swim the English Channel in 2011. I won the Van Audenaerde cup for the toughest endurance feat of the year because the winds peaked at 26 knots and the waves at over 3 meters and the water temp was only 17.5 deg. C. Lake Simcoe (Barrie to Orillia) had been a good training swim because the water was only 13 deg. C for the first 3 hours. In 2013, I was the oldest Canadian to swim the Catalina Strait in California. After swimming around Manhattan Island in 2014 (oldest Canadian), I became the first Canadian to complete the coveted Triple Crown of open water swimming (English Channel, Catalina strait and Manhattan).
In 2015, I was the first person to swim between three provinces: from Nova Scotia north to New Brunswick and across the Northumberland Strait to Prince Edward Island (34 km). In March 2016, I fulfilled a 3 year long dream, to be the first Canadian (and oldest woman) to swim across the icy (15-16 deg. C), treacherous Cook Strait between the South and North Islands of New Zealand. In August 2016, I swam across Cape Cod Bay, becoming only the 9th person and the first Canadian to swim this historic Pilgrim route across the shark infested swirling tidal waters.
In 2017, I became the oldest woman and first Canadian to swim the length of Lake Tahoe from California to Nevada (34 km). The major challenge was the elevation of the lake, at 6200 feet or 1897 m. In 2018, I fulfilled a 30 year dream to become the first person to swim across Whitefish Bay of Lake Superior (29 km, water 16.5 deg. C). Superior had been swum only twice before on a route in the western end of the lake. Later in 2018, I fulfilled another dream, of becoming the first Canadian to complete the California Triple Crown of swimming (Catalina Strait, Lake Tahoe and Santa Barbara Channel) by swimming the Santa Barbara Channel from Santa Cruz Island to Hollywood Beach, Oxnard, California on my second try after having been pulled out halfway due to a shark showing predatory behaviour (first Canadian, oldest woman).
I have also swum all 4 of the big Muskoka Lakes during 2013-2019.
(For more details, see the links to my older blogspots, my Solo Swims of Ontario bio page, and db.marathonswimmers.org/p/marilyn-korzekwa).