Climbing out of the water at Marilyn Bell Park at noon yesterday, Shaun Chisholm could have been any Ontarian enjoying a swim.
But the 40-year-old Toronto firefighter and former Iron Man champ had been in the water for about 19 1/2 hours, following a 50.5-kilometre watery path from Niagara-on-the-Lake to landfall west of Exhibition Place.
The marathon swimmer was greeted by about 50 friends and family members, as well as the rescue truck and co-workers from Fire Station 321 on McRae Dr. in the Leaside neighbourhood.
Chisholm had set out from the mouth of the Niagara River Friday around 4:30 p.m. to raise money for the burn unit at the Hospital for Sick Children.
The father of two, whose wife Allison also works at Station 321, said he felt "great" to have overcome this challenge. Trying to catch his breath while acknowledging the well-wishers, Chisholm also appeared relieved to be on dry land.
His was the second successful Lake Ontario crossing sanctioned by Solo Swims of Ontario this year. Anyone who wishes to swim one of the Great Lakes must go through this oversight body, created in 1975 to promote marathon swimming and help ensure swimmers' safety.
One notable recent Great Lake crossing belongs to Kingston teenager Jenna Lambert, who has cerebral palsy. She also completed a 34.5-kilometre swim of Lake Erie two years ago, propelled only by her arms and upper body.
Last month, on Lake Ontario, Asperger Syndrome sufferer Jay Serdula, also from Kingston, made landfall at the Leslie St. spit after 41 hours in the water.
There have now been more than 50 successful swims across Lake Ontario since 16-year-old Marilyn Bell's maiden crossing in 1954.
Frequency doesn't make the challenge any easier.
Colleen Shields was among well-wishers cheering Chisholm's arrival yesterday. Now 56, her goal is a third successful swim. Shields tried last month, but "5-foot swells ... got the better of me." She'll wait until next year for another go. She swam the lake in 2006 and 1990.
"It's as much a mental game as a physical one," Shields says of the marathon. "It's the CN Tower and the Toronto skyline that never seem to get any bigger, and your mind begins to play tricks on you."
Lake Ontario is tempting. Solo Swims president Greg Taylor says it gets eight to 10 applications a year.
