Ultra marathon swimmer hopes to create history in Milwaukee
MILWAUKEE (WITI) – Marathons are quite common; in fact in 2013 in the state of Wisconsin alone, there were 350 organized marathon races…on foot. Marathon swims however, are far less prevalent. In the same year, according to openwaterswimming.com, there were only 12 organized marathon swims at a distance of 10-kilometers or more, in the entire world.
This summer the world will dive into the sport with ultra-marathon swimmer Jamie Patrick. The California native plans to make history in Lake Michigan.
“I’m here to do a marathon swim from Milwaukee, so I’ll start at the South Milwaukee Yacht Club and finish downtown Chicago,” Patrick told us in his first visit to the city in June. He was in town to starting training in the same waters he’ll swim in August. The swim from Milwaukee to Chicago is a 71-mile trek, that’s a new distance for Patrick.
“It’s something I’m good at and you know,” says Patrick. “I’ve progressively gone further and longer in my swims and so this next swim is a big jump for me. My longest swim is currently is 31 hours and this swim, I’m estimating, will take me about 44-48 hours.”
There are many factors involved when training for such a grueling task, starting with the physical training.
“I spend up to 20-22 hours a week in the water, whether it’s the open water or the pool,” says Patrick.
The mental aspect of training for a marathon swim is just as important, and being in the right state of mind is the key to completing the journey.
"Physically is beyond anything but mentally is beyond that,” says Patrick.
That’s why he works with a sports psychologist.
“It can be a really dark place. Not just because your face is in the water but there`s many times during a swim when you want to give up but you have to continue to push through," Patrick explains.
There’s also the nutrition side of training. Swimming for 2 full days takes a lot of energy. While in the water Patrick will take breaks to hydrate and refuel about every half hour. And at this point in his swimming career, Patrick has the formula down to a science.
“I burn about 700-800 calories an hour and I take in about 300,” he says. “That’s about all the body can absorb so you’re depleting your body as you’re going longer so taking in the right nutrition, proteins, carbohydrates, electrolytes is extremely important to keep your body fueled for the entire swim.”
With all the factors Jamie Patrick trains for, there’s one, he can’t control: Mother Nature.
“I had this great idea that swimming from Milwaukee to Chicago was going to be incredible nine months ago, until we had the big freeze here,” says Patrick. “So it’s been something I’ve been watching closely.”
When Patrick was training in Milwaukee in June, the water temperature was in the fifties. That’s too cold to swim 71 miles and 40 plus hours , the human body just wouldn’t survive. And Patrick isn’t allowed to wear any type of thermal device like a wet suit.
“I'm basing the swim on the traditional marathon swimming rules which requires you to enter the water on your own, swim the entire length unassisted, meaning no touching the boat, no holding onto anybody and then exiting out of the water past the water line on your own.’ Says Patrick.
The rules also clearly indicate swimmers are only allowed to wear a swim suit, swim cap and goggles.
Patrick has pushed through more than 75 open water swims. But this one will be different. If he finishes all 71 miles he’ll obtain a world record. On top of that, the entire two day swim will be broadcasted live.
“What`s really exciting for me besides the swim is to be able to show the world what goes, what happens during and what I go through during one of these marathon swims," Patrick says when talking about the broadcast.
Patrick partnered with Ridgeline Entertainment. They’ll follow his entire journey live and broadcast it though SmackDab.com and Facebook. Ridgeline Entertainment’s founder and CEO used to be a producer on the TV show ‘The Deadliest Catch’ and he won two Emmy’s for his work with the show.
“It`s exciting because even though marathon swimming is a solo sport,” Patrick says. “I’ve got this amazing group of people around me, to be honest I couldn`t do it without them."
But being the focus of a two-day broadcast while trying to complete the longest swim of your life, adds a little anxiety for Patrick.
“Having people watch every stoke and every emotion is a little tough for me to grasp that because you know it is a very private thing,” he explains. “I have to admit, there are tears that happen throughout my swim, there`s extreme pain, there`s things my crew has to handle that I never know about until the end."
He also tells us, those emotions are all worth it in the end.
"There`s a feeling of relief, of excitement, seeing the sand come at the bottom of the lake as you`re coming closer to the finish is one of the greatest feelings ever," says Patrick.
But that feeling fades quickly.
“Being in the water, being up for 2 days, over 250-thousand arm strokes-once your body starts to shut down, it shuts down and it`s not a really pleasant experience once it gets done, but I`ll tell you, two or three days later you’re on top of the world once you start to recover."
And Jamie Patrick hopes to be on top of a world record as well.
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