Great Lakes Marathon Swimmers Oral History

The Great Lakes have undoubtedly changed in the past century. Since these changes have impacted those who regularly interact with the lake, I would like to study the changes from their perspective. Great Lakes marathon swimmers have an intimate relationship with the Great Lakes. Open water marathon swimming involves a single swimmer with a swimsuit, goggles, and a swim cap swimming across an open body of water further than 10 kilometers. Those who have been participating in the sport for a long time have firsthand knowledge of how the lake has changed. This collection will focus on prominent Great Lakes marathon swimmers who had their swims sanctioned by Solo Swims of Ontario. Their stories will inform us about the challenges swimmers face in the Great Lakes from pollution to unpredictable weather. The ultimate goal of this project is to utilize first-hand accounts to learn about the environmental history of the Great Lakes and guide future environmental policy.