Solo Swims of Ontario Inc.Solo Swims of Ontario Inc.
Report taken from the Swim Master's report compiled by John Munro.
On 31st August 2002 at 7:20 am, twenty-year-old Terri-Lynn Langdon, from Thornhill, Ontario, entered the waters of Lake Erie at Sturgeon Point, New York. Terri-Lynn, a student at Wilfred Laurier University, had been afflicted with spastic cerebral palsy since infancy and had competed on local swim teams since childhood. The goal of her cross-lake swim was to raise awareness about cerebral palsy and to raise funds for the Ontario Federation for Cerebral Palsy.
The water was calm and the winds were light from the east. Water temperatures remained constant throughout the swim at 23°C. Terri stopped for feedings every hour and a half throughout the swim. The mainstays of her feedings were fresh and canned fruits, Gatorade and water. Her pace remained constant between 56 and 60 strokes per minute. Both Zodiac inflatables were deployed, as well as a sit-on-top ocean kayak. During the mid-afternoon, the winds from the east increased slightly creating rollers of less than one foot in height, and with a slight chop on top.
During the last two hours of the swim, the wind came from the north, increasing the chop slightly more. This did not affect Terri's progress to any great degree. Terri finished her swim at 8:15 pm at Crystal Beach just as dusk was arriving, for a total time of 12 hours 55 minutes. She met her goal of completing her swim during daylight hours. Paramedics examined Terri at the end of the swim. Other than experiencing some sore muscles, she was in good health and spirits. Terri's coach was Vicki Keith, with whom she had been training for two years before this lake swim. Her successful crossing of Lake Erie raised some $10,000 to $15,000 for the Ontario Federation for Cerebral Palsy.
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Created: 5th November 2002
Last Updated: 20th March 2003