Eels, Hypothermia, Exhaustion, Waves, Success!
Posted by Ralph Montesanto
Thie Convery is a Sudbury girl who graduated from McMaster University and set up her own financial advisory service in Dundas. About a year ago, Thie was having dinner with some Rotarian friends and enjoying a few Irish whiskies when she said out of the blue, "I think I'll swim Lake Ontario to raise money to end polio." The next day, after the effects of the whiskey had worn off, she googled, "swim in Lake Ontario" and determined that meant a 52km sanctioned swim from Niagara-on-the-Lake to the CNE grounds in Toronto.
Thie Convery is a Sudbury girl who graduated from McMaster University and set up her own financial advisory service in Dundas. About a year ago, Thie was having dinner with some Rotarian friends and enjoying a few Irish whiskies when she said out of the blue, "I think I'll swim Lake Ontario to raise money to end polio." The next day, after the effects of the whiskey had worn off, she googled, "swim in Lake Ontario" and determined that meant a 52km sanctioned swim from Niagara-on-the-Lake to the CNE grounds in Toronto. It also meant a chance to fight off eels, hypothermia, exhaustion and waves, not to mention the possibility of a lightning storm which would immediately end the swim. Not being a long distance swimmer meant months of training and putting on extra pounds. Thie's swim starts at 6:00 PM on August 5 and after 24h of steadily swimming she will land at Marilyn Bell Park. The surface of Lake Ontario can be 50 degrees in some places and she needs 22 000 calories during her swim to keep her body running. She can only stop and tread water for 20 - 30s to drink a premixed formula, any longer and her body temperature will fall. If she touches anything but the nutrition bottle the swim is over. Club members are encouraged to be at the NOTL pavillion by the water's edge to see Thie off as her swim routine kicks twice and takes long gliding strokes under the watchful eye of the Swim Master of Solo Swim of Ontario.