GLOWing With Robert McGlashan

Courtesy of Madhu Nagaraja, Lake Ontario, Canada.

Robert McGlashan spends much his time on dryland as an attorney in Toronto specializing in Employment, Environmental and Estate Litigation. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Story Book Farms Primate Sanctuary, The Canadian Defence Lawyers, The Ontario Bar Association, and Masters Swimming Ontario.

But when he turns his energies to the open water, he not only inspires and mentors others through Great Lakes Open Water Adventures (GLOW), but he also spends his time in the water from sea level to 3,810 meters in the Andes, from 1°C water in Canada’s mid-winter to warm water in summertime Italy.

In 2018, he swam 16 km across the Bonifacio Channel from Rena Bianca (Santa Teresa di Gallura) in Sardinia to Punta Sperone in Corsica, Italy in 5 hours 24 minutes. He followed up that swim with a 1.35 km swim in 29 minutes 44 seconds in 1°C water and -4°C air temperature at GLOW Beach in Lake Ontario.

In 2019, he started his aquatic adventures in San Francisco Bay, California when he did an Alcatraz Island swim in March. Then he headed to Chile in April where he completed a 3.9 km swim across the Strait of Magellan in 1 hour 6 minutes in 6°C water. In May, he headed back to South America when he completed the 7 km Nadando Cerca del Cielo swim in Lake Titicaca, Bolivia in 2 hours 26 minutes in 12°C water 3,810 meters above sea level.

In July, he set off to Europe and completed the 36 km Maratona del Golfo Capri-Napoli in Italy in 9 hours 53 minutes. In August, he was in the waters of Lake Geneva for over 25 hours as he swam 50 km in the LGSA Signature swim in Switzerland.

Then during an 8-day period in November, he established the Cold Crusade, a series of Ice Kilometer charity swims to benefit the Shelter Movers that helps women escape abusive relationships. He completed a 1.5 km swim on November 16th in 1.8°C water in 20 minutes and an Ice Kilometer swim on November 23rd in 3°C water in 15 minutes 35 seconds, both in Lake Ontario.

All the while, he helps Madhu Nagaraja administer GLOW and support the growing open water swimming community of Lake Ontario.

His 2020 schedule is rev up even more with planned swims in the English Channel, Beagle Channel in Chile and Cape Horn in Chile as well as the 45.9 km 20 Bridges Manhattan Island Swim in New York and his Cold Crusade.

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