On September 17, 2025, I became the first to complete a 17-mile open-water swim around Lake Wawasee. Nine hours and 20 minutes of endurance, hypothermia, and pure grit — cheered on by over 300 people from docks and boats. This Lap the Lake journey is more than a swim — it’s the beginning of my book, Beyond the Buoy, a mile-by-mile story of pushing past limits and making history.

Shallow waters, punishing chop, and a gut punch: this wasn’t a 14 mile swim, it was going to be closer to 17.

Johnson’s Bay stripped me down. Cold, shaking, slipping. My crew’s hot water and fire kept me alive.