Lake Erie Open Water Swimming Association (LEOWSA) is a governing body for swimmers who wish to attempt a sanctioned, monitored, and insured solo marathon swim in or across Lake Erie.
Josh Heynes, a clinical cardiac exercise physiologist, high school All American, former NCAA Division I college swimmer at the University of Pittsburgh, a triathlete, and a marathon swimmer who crossed Lake Erie twice (in 11 hours 53 minutes in 2006 and in 11 hours 16 minutes in 2011), was the visionary and mastermind behind LEOWSA.
For more information on the LEOWSA, visit Facebook here.
But for every start in the marathon swimming community, the end must eventually come.
Heynes writes, “…usually at this time of year we are announcing that we are accepting applications for this upcoming season’s cross Lake Erie 24-mile marathon swim.
However, at this time we are announcing that Lake Erie Open Water Swimming Association (LEOWSA) is closing its doors and shutting down its operations as the official safety and observation group for Lake Erie 24-mile marathon swims.
This decision does not come easy to us, after over a decade of service, preparing, monitoring, and ratifying swimmers with their teams across Lake Erie.
This is not due to a lack of swimmers or interested parties that aspire to do this individual feat in the coming years but for various other reasons. ( too many to list)
We wanted to give those who were planning to swim across Lake Erie and their respective teams for the summer of 2024 or 2025 an opportunity to make other arrangements to do so, or to seek out other marathon swim events if that turns out to be a better option. We want their swims to be officially recognized and ratified, without question, as it should be.
After all this time we have seen some amazing swims and great determination through all kinds of adversity, such as weather events, scheduling changes, training mishaps, etc etc. We wanted to thank all of those swimmers and teams for the opportunity to be a part of your day and trust us (LEOWSA) for their success.
In this time frame, we have had many successful crossings (more than in prior years to our existence) and only 2 DNF’s.
We grew from just some locals who wanted to sometimes swim across Lake Erie on a rare occasion, to an internationally consistently recognized destination for amazing marathon swimmers to schedule and come visit.
We also have to thank all of our boat captains, observers, Coast Guard, Border Security agents, and various volunteers for their endless dedication to assisting others in achieving their dreams.
We also have to thank the local North East Twp Community and Safety personnel for allowing us to finish at Freeport Beach and to be available to be a part of these athletes’ success stories. Also for being out on the beach for hours on end waiting and cheering these athletes to the finish.
And finally thank you to Robert North and Havey Snell the OG’s of Lake Erie Marathon swimming and the original 24 mile Course duo that set the standard all those years ago for us to follow.
We will not forget Pat Budney is the grandfather of cross Lake Erie Swimming, who showed us all what we thought was impossible….possible.
If swimmers are planning to cross Lake Erie there are still options for you.
Contact Evan Morrison at the MSF (Marathon Swimmers Federation). They will let you know what requirements are needed for MSF recognition, ratification, and rules of your marathon swim. Or, there are friends up North on the other side of the Lake for local marathon swim observation and safety groups such as @GLOW: Great Lakes Open Water Adventures, @LOST Swimming (Lake Ontario Swim), and Solo Swims of Ontario. These established entities would possibly be able to assist in your marathon swimming needs. with proper planning and official observation.
Gratitude and Appreciation
This passing of the guard is an example of the evolution of the sport. The open water and marathon swimming community has been built by and continuously developed by numerous volunteers and numerable organizations over many generations. From the Channel Swimming Federation that was established in 1927 and all other organizations that were subsequently established, future generations of governing bodies and organizers are built on the current generations and the current generations were built on those of the previous generations.
A most recent example was the Hawaiian Channel Swim Association that was formed in 1984 by Carol Lee Heltzel to recognize individuals who swim across any of the 9 major inter-island channels of Hawaii. From Heltzel to Carl Kawauchi to Bill Goding and Linda Kaiser to Steve Haumschild and Jeff Kozlovich to Bill Goding, Terri Dietz, Ryan Leong, Debbie Merwick, Stefan Reinke, Lectie Altman, Hudson Slay, Alex Webb, Rachael Randall, and Chris Chuck, the tradition continues – and history continues to be made and documented.
The LEOWSA has played an invaluable role in the development, promotion, history, and documentation of swimming across and in Lake Erie, in the Great Lakes region as a whole, and within the marathon swimming community at large.
Thank you very much.
On August 20th 1975, Pat Budney swam 26 miles across Lake Erie in 25 hours 52 minutes from Long Point, Ontario, Canada to Presque Isle State Park – Beach 10, Erie, Pennsylvania, USA. The finish beach is now named Budney Beach in his honor.
© Daily News of Open Water Swimming
“to educate, enthuse, and entertain all those who venture beyond the shoreline“