Would there be intrest in a 10k OW in Mid MO in 2009

That is extraordinary! Thanks for posting the story, Jayhawk! That swim is the length of an English Channel swim in distance, and longer than many in time. :applaud: VB

Hey, nomad64 made today's Kansas City paper: www.kansascity.com/.../837506.html For charity, Missouri man swims 20 miles in 20 hours The Associated Press October 11, 2008 CAMDENTON, Mo. - He can’t even crawl out of bed. He has to slide. Trevor Dowdney is in pain, able to move his legs but barely able to lift his hands to shave. It’s been two days since Dowdney completed his 20-mile swim down the main channel of Lake of the Ozarks, and while he is exhausted, he’s too uncomfortable to sleep. The Osage Beach resident had been preparing for the one-man charity swim for months. He hoped to avoid the high winds and waves that greeted him first thing in the morning. Fueled by a stomach full of bananas, cereal and lots of water, Dowdney jumped in the lake around 5 a.m. near the Grand Glaize Bridge. What kept him going were the thousands of dollars in pledges made for the St. Louis Shriners Hospital. “At mile 10, the only thing that motivated me was that I was doing it for the kids,” Dowdney said. “It was a case of, ‘Hey suck it up.’ I’m going to be in pain for a few days, but these kids are in pain for most of their life.” Dowdney decided to make the early October swim on his son Aidan’s birthday. Diagnosed with congenital hip dysplasia when he was 18 months old, Aidan has made frequent visits to the Shriners Hospital. As a way to pay them back, Dowdney called for donations and set out to complete what he called the Twenty-20. Twenty miles in 20 hours. With his “committed and enthusiastic team,” Dowdney was accompanied by three kayaks and a boat whose crew helped cheer him on and keep him safe. Despite the help of the vessels, swimming in the dark caused him to zigzag, adding a few extra yards along the course. Once the sun came up, the winds kicked in and churned up the water for the next eight hours. “My shoulders shut down at about the 8-mile marker,” he said. “Towards the end, every stroke felt like somebody was tugging at them to prevent them from working.” After stopping for a short break about halfway through, Dowdney said he sent the crew out to look for smoother water. They found it across the lake. As he approached the dam, Dowdney said his friends and family were waiting. All he could think about was getting out of the water. “I got home and I was rocking from side to side. It felt like I was on a moving boat. My equilibrium was all over the place,” he said. Since he spent most of Aidan’s birthday in the lake, the family was celebrating over the weekend with a trip to Branson. He’ll skip the rides but eat the funnel cake and popcorn. “I burned a few thousand calories,” he said. “I think I’ve earned it.”

Would this swim be sanctioned by a major organized swimming organization? Congratulations again on your long swim, and I hope you're in better condition after a few funnel cakes! VB

Thanks guys, response to the swim has been great. Never thought it would make it as far away as the KC Star. So far the donations have hit $6.500.00 I've got to try and run around and collect it all. The swim was pretty tough, the wind picked up and stayed with me until about 3 miles from the end. Well it's done now onto other things! :-) The swim / swims will be sanctioned. I will try and have distance options, 1.5,5,10k distances. As everything appears to be based around June July August, would there be intrest interest in sept-Oct? the water temp on avg is 68-75 around these months. We have a 19.000 acre park with huge amounts of camping available, several good hotels and conference centres. We have two very unique malls one small and quaint wih unique shopping and a super entertainment show in the evenings, and the other being a 110 store outlet mall. Keep the suggestions coming Again thanks for the comments on the swim. Trev