Virtual Races, School and Family Zoom, but Virtual Swim?

By Kathy Pfeiffer

This summer I signed up with my running friends for several virtual races. I also did a few duathlons. Tricia Johnson of Burnt Hills and I qualified for duathlon nationals and had to participate virtually.

One of the races we completed was the Virtual Lake George Marathon Swim, an eight-week, 32-mile swim across the “Queen of American Lakes.” It was Tricia’s birthday when she, Sue Nealon of Glens Falls, Lori Langdon of Saratoga Springs and I were swimming at Moreau Lake State Park when we heard about the virtual Lake George, and we all signed up to start it on August 1 so we complete it by September 30. Many of my runner friends are swimmer friends too. A friend of Sue, named Kitty Fair of Fort Ann signed up as well. Sue, Kitty and Tricia swam typically four days a week at Moreau Lake. 

Candi Schermerhorn of Diamond Point and I swam three to four times a week at Glen Lake. Candi swam twice a week in Lake George, whereas I swam in Moreau on Thursdays and Sundays. YES, we swam six days a week to complete this virtual race! Candi and I swam a mile-plus most days, whereas my Moreau friends were swimming two-plus miles at a time. It’s a fact, we all loved swimming as much as we loved running!

The always punctual Sue Nealon finished first of our swimmers on September 4. Tricia and Kitty were returning to work at schools so Tricia finished on September 6 and we were there to cheer her on. Candi finished around that date on Glen Lake with several swimmers to cheer for her.

Kitty and I both finished on September 18, and it was a glorious day. I had to swim doubles to finish up, so swam at the Glens Falls YMCA for a mile or two, then went back to Moreau Lake. The water temperature on September 18 was a chilly 58 degrees! I wore a full wetsuit on May 6, my first open water swim of the year, and again in September for my last swim. I swam 1.3 miles that day and my friend Casey swam the last half-mile with me. 

I recommend that you do this virtual race in 2021; no worries, the in-person Lake George Swim (2.5K, 5K or 10K) is also planned to be back! On lakegeorgeswim.com, virtual participants can chat with each other and there are fun digital milestones along the way, such as Diane’s Rock, Anthony’s Nose, Silver Bay, Harbor Islands, The Narrows, Dome Island, Pilot Knob, Diamond Island and The Finish. These digital badges were a source of encouragement and motivation for us swimmers! I swam with Kerri Thomas of Granville on one day, and she swam six miles that day to earn the Silver Bay digital badge. 

Next year’s virtual race dates are June 27 to August 21. The T-shirt, bathing cap and finish medal were amazing. Whether you’re a runner, biker, paddler or hiker, give swimming a try as there are many cross-training benefits! 

Finally, I also enjoyed completing the “Corona Lisa” 100-Mile Challenge – a masterpiece run (or walk), with a really cool medal – think Mona Lisa!

Kathy Pfeiffer (fiveks@datatouch.net) of Queensbury has been married to Keith for 44 years and is a mother of three strong women and grandmother of nine. She’s a Credentialed Alcoholism & Substance Abuse Counselor and teacher. In her free time, Kathy is an active member of Adirondack Runners, Saratoga Tri Club, Saratoga Cycling Club, Adirondack Multisport, and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training.