Swimmer Sets Goal of 31 Crossings at Straits

After swimming alone across Lake Superior last August, marathon athlete Jim Dreyer says he plans to make at least 31 consecutive crossings of the turbulent Straits of Mackinac in September, swimming non-stop for 125 miles or more, to set a world distance record. He will once again swim unescorted.

The event, which he calls "Dire Straits 125," will have Mr. Dreyer battling the Straits' cross current for an estimated 72 to 84 hours, without the support of an escort boat. Mr. Dreyer said he chose the

Straits as his location, rather than tropical, warm salt waters, for the challenge.

"I chose to swim unescorted because in these tough currents I'd rather carry my 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," Mr. Dreyer said. "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 five of these inland seas, and the Straits will present a new and unique challenge."

Mr. Dreyer has set 14 records while swimming across all five Great Lakes. Last year's Lake Superior swim set the world distance record for a self-sufficient swim as he pulled 250 pounds of supplies for 59 miles alone across Lake Superior.

He will attempt to set his 15th record while raising funds and awareness for the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.

If he is successful and if weather permits him to start September 1 as planned, he is projected to finish the swim on Labor Day. If he completes his last lap of the Straits on the holiday, there will be plenty of activity on the Mackinac Bridge spanning the Straits above him, as that is the date for an estimated 80,000 people to walk the bridge.