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Jim Dreyer to Attempt Distance Record at Straits

Jim Dreyer - photo by David Alan Wolters

Soo Today reports that Great Lakes ultra-marathon athlete Jim Dreyer has announced plans to set a new world distance record for a continuous swim by making 31 consecutive crossings of the Straits of Mackinac on September 1, 2006. Dreyer is billing this as Dire Straits 125 and will swim unescorted in an attempt to top Australian Susie Maroney's 122 mile escorted swim between the Yucatan Peninsula and Cuba in 1998.

"I chose to swim unescorted, because in these tough currents I'd rather carry nutrition on my back and keep swimming, than to feed off the side of a boat that's rapidly drifting away and adding miles to my swim. I chose the Straits of Mackinac because my niche is the Great Lakes, which presents some of the most challenging marathon swimming in the world, and I don't want to back down from that challenge. I've already crossed all five of these inland seas, and the Straits will present a new and unique challenge. Furthermore, I'm promoting objectives of the beautiful state of Michigan, and swimming the Straits will keep my entire route within state boundaries, and make the event very accessible to the media and public."

Read Guy says he'll swim Straits of Mackinaw, 31 times from Soo Today
Jim Dreyer's web site