Famed Utah marathon swimmer James Jonsson will attempt a two-way 38-mile (61 km) lengthwise crossing of the Bear Lake on the Utah and Idaho border in July at an elevation of 5,920 feet (1,804m).

The thin air will accentuate the cool water and air temperatures and will most definitely aerobically stress Jonsson’s body in ways that ocean swims do not.

Jonsson describes Utah Lake, one of the largest lakes west of the Mississippi, “The lake has two distinct personalities. The southern half is very rural and surrounded by apple orchards to the east and desert scrub to the west. The northern half is more urban and surrounded by the cities of Provo, Orem, American Fork, and Lehi.”

Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source