Jamie Patrick to Attempt Grueling 68-mile Circumference of Lake Tahoe

LAKE TAHOE. August 30. JAMIE Patrick makes it a point that what he is attempting in Lake Tahoe tomorrow is not a marathon swim.

But it is certainly an adventure.

Starting at 6 a.m., surrounded by a team of marathon swimmers, endurance athletes, fitness fanatics and friends, Patrick will wrap himself in neoprene and take off on a 68-mile swim around the perimeter of Lake Tahoe.

His adventure, neoprene or not, will be followed by many. These followers include mainstream media reporters, personal friends, and people who have only heard of this California waterman and his numerous open water exploits. Nevertheless, with or without followers, Patrick will relentlessly follow his dreams by attempting remarkable feats in lakes and rivers.

In Lake Tahoe tomorrow, his focus will not be on whether he is following the rules of marathon swimming, but on the raw, fundamental premise of his chosen exploit.

I am about the adventure in everything,” explains the former University of Hawaii and Long Beach State swimmer. “From riding my bike through the night “just because”, to swimming upstream in the creek behind my house during a rain storm, to walking home from work 17 miles, to doing two marathons back to back for the fun of it. I have sailed all over the world. I have done 12 hour pool swims, swam in 12 different pools in 12 days just for the fun of it. I have taken a train with my bike 200 miles down the California coast and turned around and rode back. I have run 78 miles on a one mile loop. I have swam with whales, sharks, and dolphins in the wild. My first Ironman I did without training, just to see if I could do it. I love adventure.”

For Patrick, adventure involves risk-taking. The only thing measured in Patrick's 68-mile Lake Tahoe perimeter swim is the level of difficulty. At 6,225 feet (1,897 meters), Tahoe is nestled in the mountains between California and Nevada. Patrick could face pain, discomfort, vomiting, muscle fatigue and a host of other physiological trauma and psychological obstacles on the estimated 45-hour swim.

His effort will be dramatic and emotional. Patrick's 25-person crew will see him go through a whole host of emotions and physical configurations over his two-day swim in the freshwater lake. His skin will soften and swell. His stomach will growl and struggle to maintain sustenance. He will feel lightheaded and sore. Yet he will forge on, circling the Lake within 75 meters of the coast.

His swim will be a struggle. Patrick will meet his physical limits and then convince himself to continue on. Stroke after stroke, mile after mile, Patrick will fight on like adventurers of old. His swim is a repetitive solo feat not considered dramatic television. But, as is the case with channel swimmers, it is an unforgettable experience for those who witness it firsthand. The inner battle for these swimmers is as intriguing as the struggle against nature.

His swim (68 miles of a match between man and nature) will be available for viewing in real-time here.

This is his passion. Lake Tahoe is his field of play. The Sierra Nevada mountains is where Patrick has decided to give himself the ultimate test. And he motivates us to seek our own Lake Tahoe.

Reference: swimmers who have swum longer than 24 hours are posted here.

Courtesy of Open Water Source

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