We Made it!
Super pumped to share this highlight video of our Epic Swim last week! First-ever continuous relay across the middle of Lake Michigan and fastest-ever mid-lake crossing. We covered the 54.5 miles in 20 hours and 50 minutes with an average pace of 1:18/100yds. Super grateful for our amazing crew and for Mother Nature who granted us the gift of a perfect day.
Our on-board filmmaker Michael Dillon (@PilotField) did an amazing job of capturing a ton of footage and putting it together in a fun highlight video. This video does an awesome job of showing the various conditions we encountered during our through-the-night adventure. It also captures the fun and joy of the journey. Not pictured are the months of planning, obsessing over weather and insane scrambling at the last minute to line everything up with the window of opportunity that Mother Nature presented. Even with the 51 degree water at the start and the 2-4 foot waves through the night, the journey itself was pure joy and an experience we’ll all cherish for a lifetime.
Lake Michigan is the 5th largest lake in the world! She’s an amazing gift and we’d love your help preserving and protecting her: gofundme.com/epicswim2020
FULL DETAILS:
On Tuesday, August 11 at 4:15pm EST 6 swimmers from West Michigan left the shore at Rawley Point Lighthouse in Two Rivers, Wisconsin to begin swimming across Lake Michigan in an event they called EPIC SWIM 2020. After a 20 hour and 50-minute journey through-the-night they arrived on the other side at the Big Sable Point Lighthouse in Ludington, Michigan on Wednesday, August 12 at 4:10pm EST. It marked only the 2nd ever mid-lake crossing, first-ever relay-style crossing and by far the fastest-ever mid-lake crossing.
History: The only other successful Lake Michigan mid-lake swim crossing in history was completed by Jim Dreyer in 1998. The Epic Swim Team followed the same route (Two Rivers, WI to Ludington, MI). Dreyer completed the solo swim in 40 hours and 56 minutes.
Rules: The Team followed relay rules set forth by the Marathon Swimmers Federation. All 6 swimmers began and finished the swim together for the first and last half mile. The majority of the swim was completed relay-style in 30-minute legs with at least one swimmer in the water unassisted at all times. For exchanges, the new swimmer would dive off the support boat, swim behind the previous swimmer and complete the exchange with a high five in the water.
Conditions: The water was a chilling 51 degrees at the start of the swim in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, but warmed up pretty quickly in the first couple miles. Water temps hovered around 70 degrees for a majority of the swim. Waves were 2-4 feet for about 4 hours in the night but were under 2 feet for the majority of the swim.
Strategy: The swimmers waited weeks for weather to be favorable, allowing for the highest probability of success. They were hoping for light winds out of the west with small waves for a majority of the swim. Their patience paid off and they were gifted an awesome weather window for the swim. They had a lead boat which dragged a lane line behind it to help them stay on course. All of the swimmers were aboard a second boat which allowed for efficient relay exchanges and comfortable conditions while recovering between legs.
Stats: Despite some rocky conditions in the night, the swimmers were able to maintain a remarkably fast pace, covering the 54.5 miles in 20:50 for an average pace of 1:18/100yds (2.6 mph).
Tracker: The Team had a live tracker onboard which allowed thousands of viewers to follow their progress. They also posted several video updates to their Facebook page during the swim.
The Team: The swim was organized by Jon Ornée of Holland, Michigan who recruited 5 other swimmers including his brother Dave Ornée, Nick Hobson, Jeremy Sall, Matt Smith and Todd Suttor. Full swimmer bios available HERE.
Support Crew: The swim couldn’t have happened without an awesome crew including 5 captains (Brad Hilton, Jeff Harten, Brad Stephenson, Mike Stephenson and James Grosse) and a spotter/medic (Jake Terpstra). Filmmaker Michael Dillon was also on board to document the entire adventure.
Charity Partner: EP!C SWIM 2020 is raising money for FLOW (For Love Of Water), a Traverse City-based non-profit committed to protecting and preserving the Great Lakes.
Sponsors: Special thanks to Gold Sponsors - Shoreline Orthopaedics, and Orca. Silver Sponsors – Michigan Awesome, Velo City Cycles, Koops Inc, Ludington Bay Brewery, Roka, TheMagic5 and Rocker Medical Massage. Bronze Sponsors – Seppo Chiropractic and Holland Community Aquatic Center.
---------------------
Swim organized by Jon Ornée: JonOrnee.com
Film produced by PILOT FIELD: www.pilotfield.com
