Eric Durban (68, shown above) and Lars Durban (66) are among the oldest swimmers entered in this year’s SCAR Swim. Two years ago, the two brothers from Maple Valley, Washington tied in 20 hours 37 minutes in the 4-day stage swim in Arizona.
And that got them thinking.
Why not do a SCAR-like event in their native state of Washington?
The duo have now created the Mount St Helens Classic, a 4-day 4-lake 58 km stage swim held in Mayfield Lake, Riffe Lake, Lake Merwin, and Yale Lake that surround the Mount St Helens Volcanic Monument within the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in the state of Washington.
The 12.5-mile (20.1 km) course in Riffe Lake and the 6.2-mile (9.97 km) course in Mayfield Lake are north of Mt. St Helens on the Cowlitz River.
The 7.4-mile (11.9 km) course in Yale Lake and the 10-mile (16.1 km) course in Lake Merwin are south of Mt. St Helens on the Lewis River.
Swimmers are free to register for one crossing or can attempt all four crossings. Registration opens on January 1st 2025. The event is held the weekend after Labor Day 2025 which is September 5th – 8th 2025.
For more information, contact mountsthelensclassic@gmail.com.
© Daily News of Open Water Swimming
“to educate, enthuse, and entertain all those who venture beyond the shoreline“
Love this idea. Yale Lake for sure is amazing. This sounds like a fantastic event! Count me in!
Swimming near a Volcano… That is a horrible idea…. Count me in!!!
+ the rest of the PDX open water crew…
Already looking for my kayakers. Can’t wait.