Courtesy of Solo Swims of Ontario, Lake Ontario, Canada.

Elizabeth Fry is the epitome of a mild-mannered heroine.

She was nominated for the 2011, 2015 and 2016 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year and did a 4-day S.C.A.R. Swim Challenge that was double what anyone else had ever accomplished. On May 6th 2015, she completed a 26.6 km double crossing of Saguaro Lake in 7 hours 32 minutes. The next day, she completed a 28.2 km double crossing of Canyon Lake in 7 hours 27 minutes 30 seconds. The next day, she completed a 45.6 km double crossing of Apache Lake in 15 hours 47 minutes. And on the final day, she completed a 18 km double crossing of Roosevelt Lake in 6 hours 18 minutes. “I thought her 37 hours 4 minutes of swimming over the course of 4 day at the age of 56 was about as impressive as one could be.

But she also achieved the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming and was the person to achieve the Reverse Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming.

She continues to swim all over the world from the Strait of Magellan to Lake Memphremagog and 55.5 km across Lake Huron in 20 hours 53 minutes at the age of 59.

On and on she goes, swimming like people a third of her age.

She was inducted as an Honour Swimmer in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in its Class of 2014. She was inducted in the Vermont Open Water Swimming Hall of Fame in its Class of 2018 and she was most recently inducted in the Solo Swims of Ontario Hall of Fame for her swim across Lake Ontario at the age of 58 years 315 days.

Her swim established the fastest American female time for the traditional crossing from south to north (from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Marilyn Bell Park) in 15 hours 46 minutes. This was the latest swim-date recorded for this course across Lake Ontario.

Photo shows Fry with her sister Peggy Gaskill on the escort boat in the Tsugaru Channel.

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