GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — After falling short of reaching his goal just a few weeks ago, marathon swimmer Jim "The Shark" Dreyer is attempting his historic swim across Lake Michigan again Monday.
The 61-year-old swimmer is attempting a continuous, self-sufficient swim across Lake Michigan, which he said would be the first ever to be completed.
Dreyer completed a swim across Lake Michigan in 1998, beginning in Two Rivers, Wisconsin and ending in Ludington, Michigan. But, every attempt since, Dreyer has failed to cross the lake.
His latest attempt comes just weeks after he called off a swim in August due to his GPS losing power and swimming in the wrong direction for hours.
“What a blow!” he said in an account of the swim he posted online. “I should have been in the home stretch, well into Wisconsin waters with about 23 miles (37 kilometers) to go. Instead, I had 47 miles (75 kilometers) to go, and the weather window would soon close.”
Now, Dreyer is attempting the swim again, departing from Grand Haven City Beach at 6 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 2 and finishing up at McKinley Beach in Milwaukee, Wisconsin sometime on Thursday, Sept. 5.
The 82.9-mile route will take Dreyer an estimated 72 hours to complete, all while hauling over 200 pounds of supplies and self-navigating the trek.
The swim is raising funds for the U.S. Coast Guard’s Chief Petty Officers Association.
You can track Dreyer's progress on his website, JimTheSharkDreyer.com.
