Category Archives: The LOST Blog

I met John Gayford last summer… he’s a great ol’ Aussie swimmer who joined LOST Swimming.  I liked him right away.  Like all Aussie’s he’s got lots of great sayings… one that stuck with me was when he was talking … Continue reading →

So my new friend in Barbados, (always good to have friends in hot places!) Zary Evelyn, who has set up two new open water races there has also put something together with the government to bring in tourists!  I guess … Continue reading →

  … and for my next trick… the Toronto Marathon.  I had been running well in the first 4 races this year.  Had been.  A fast (for me) 1:42 Chilly Half Marathon in March… an even faster South Beach Half … Continue reading →

As I mentioned, LOST Swimming registration is now open (under tab “How to be a LOST Swimmer”).  Officially this is the 8th season.  Time flies. I look at where we started… which essentially was just me training for my English … Continue reading →

Okay a bit of parental bragging here… my daughter Maisey just signed with Bryant University in Rhode Island!  (just as her big brother, Dylan, is coming home from the University of Maryland!) She and I have been working on getting … Continue reading →

So triathlon season is pretty much here… finally!  There have been a few hard-core cyclists that have been out on the bike for weeks already… but I’m a bit of a fair weather cyclist… so our Sunday ride was my … Continue reading →

White breaks 32-year-old swim record! Eclipsing Baumann’s 1981 medley mark part of six-record month for OAK swimmer When Andrew Ford touched the wall first to win the 200-metre individual medley earlier this month at the Canadian World Championship Trials, he … Continue reading →

Kim just dropped me an email to pass you on to you all about the first viewing of the documentary they have been making about her!  For those of you who don’t know Kim, she and her father are legendary in Lake … Continue reading →

Here we go!!!  The first sign of spring… LOST registration is open!  It’s so cool that Melanie and I have already been inundated with lots of emails about when LOST Swimming and registration will start, (June 1st or so… but … Continue reading →

So if you have 10 minutes to kill… my new friends and documentary film makers, Katie Jones, Christa Morrison and Jonathan Jackson made this. It’s about ultra running… and features Carla Miceli, Richard Takata and… you guessed it… yours truly!  Carla … Continue reading →

So last fall I got a call from someone I’d never met, asking me about open water swimming.  Not that unusual, LOST swimming has become quite well known in the world of open water swimming, so I get calls and … Continue reading →

So I was thinking about trying to add a “forum” on to this website… a place where marathon swimmers could chat about, well… marathon swimming.  But this website wouldn’t support it too well… and besides no need to re-invent the … Continue reading →

Last year I swam the classic 24 mile “Tampa Bay Marathon Swim” that my friend Ron Collins puts on… it’s a great race!  People literally come from all over the world to do it, there aren’t huge numbers, because oddly, … Continue reading →

 Here is a picture of happier times at the Boston Marathon… the day before the race.  Kind of cool, our group and another group of running friends from Oakville, Connor’s Runners (in orange), all met up for this picture!  The story … Continue reading →

  Oakville runners, their friends and family, hold a copy of the Oakville Beaver prior to the start of the 2013 Boston Marathon Monday. Hours later, the streets of Boston became a bloodbath after two bombs detonated near the finish … Continue reading →

The Boston Globe has just reported over the news wires just minutes ago that “There have been 2 large explosions at the finish of the Boston Marathon”… also “The Boston Marathon headquarters have been locked down”… and “There are multiple … Continue reading →

Monday, April, 08, 2013 – 3:03:22 PM Submitted photo Colleen Shields Shields plans unique Lake Ontario swim By Eamonn Maher Staff writer Local resident Colleen Shields is going to take another run at crossing Lake Ontario this summer, except this … Continue reading →

This just in from our own LOSTie and photo buff, Bruce: “These specimens are making a break for it from Lake O, up the Humber River (beats 16 mile creek!). What did they see that we’ve missed? Minutes from Bloor … Continue reading →

Swimmer Kim Lumsdon gears up to cross Lake Ontario again — at ripe old age of 56 Lumsdon hopes to regain the title of oldest woman to make the swim this summer, but rival Colleen Shields, five years older, won’t … Continue reading →

… okay, technically it was Good Friday… but we’ll call it the Easter Run anyway.  Just the usual suspects out for a nice 9k run.  A good hard run… and coffee with the gang after… sometimes it’s the simple things … Continue reading →

More running races!  I know, I know, this is supposed to be all about open water swimming… but also triathlon… and therefore running too!  Besides that’s what we do… and Lake O is only about 37F right now!… still a … Continue reading →

So it already seems like a distant memory, but we went to Florida for March Break… and had a great time! A bit of fun for everyone… we flew into Miami on the Friday and stayed in South Beach.  We … Continue reading →

… so after the Miami Half Marathon on Saturday morning… we went back to the room and woke up Jillian and Maisey… went for a great breakfast… and did what everyone wants to do after a good hard race… spent … Continue reading →

… and there we have it… the first race of 2013 is under our belts!  The classic Chilly Half Marathon!  And it lived up to it’s name… it was chilly… I don’t know exactly, call it -6C with windchill… making … Continue reading →

So let me bring you up to speed on what the biggest contreversy is in marathon swimming… uniformity.  What rules and equipment should be allowed?  It’s a slippery slope… practically everything is an aid to some degree.  The hardcore purists … Continue reading →

If you’ve ever thought of swimming the English Channel… or are just curious as to why someone would… have a look at this video. I attempted the EC back in 2006 as my first marathon swim… 12:05 hours in very … Continue reading →

Okay, this one is pretty cool… even though the title sounds like what Johnny Depp would say before he says: “Release the Kraken”! This woman, Ali Howard, wanted to raise awareness of proposed coal bed methane gas wells and the … Continue reading →

So here is an interesting email I just got from a swimmer who wants to join us for the LOST Race when he’s in Oakville next summer… from Perth, Australia!  (Cool that even the Aussies check out our site!) We were … Continue reading →

So I’ve been a bit delinquent in my swimming these days… a grand total of 2 swims since my Lake O Crossing last summer.  One at Christmas with my son, Dylan, who was back from University of Maryland (and who … Continue reading →

At the risk of sounding like I’m in grade 3… “guess what mom?!… I made a new friend!” Through the beauty of word of mouth (and the internet) I was fortunate enough to be contacted by Neval Greenidge of the … Continue reading →

Beer Run! A (somewhat) scientific look at how a postrun pint (or two) affects your favorite activity. Biggest surprise? It’s different for women. By Christie Aschwanden; Image by Eddie Guy Runner’s World, January 05, 2012 I stood at the end … Continue reading →

Simon Griffiths has written another very good article in H2Open magazine on “failure” and in  particular how it relates to open water swimming.  I found it ironic that the two examples he used, the Olympics and the English Channel and the … Continue reading →

Here is a timely interview I did with Steve Munatones (the editor and founder of several open water swimming sites, including the one this was published in “Daily News Of Open Water Swimming” and “Open Water Source”.  It’s my thoughts on Lance, … Continue reading →

… now that’s how you kick off the New Year… if you’re nuts!  Fortunately… we’re nuts. Well, at least 20 or so of us were!  (and more than that were happy to just sit back and watch… and laugh!).  At … Continue reading →

Madhu, myself and Annaleise all swam Lake Ontario this year, in one of the biggest years for Lake O Crossings in a long time… but when my friend, Steve Munatones, who runs the World Open Water Swimming Awards (WOWSA), called … Continue reading →

 … and just for fun… a picture from the pre-Christmas morning run at Brett’s coffee shop, Bean There, which we all frequent after our LOST Swims… turns out these LOSTies are good runners… and swimmers and triathletes!… well most of … Continue reading →

So our very own LOSTie, Steve Faulkner, who drives all the way down from Barrie to swim with us most Saturday mornings is now the Boss of the Big Apple… the King of the Hudson… the Aquatic Mayor of NYC!!! NYC Swims, … Continue reading →

… so Peter and I were talking about this the other day and I’m sure most residents of Oakville have been wondering about it for a while too… in my discussions with the Town about the 50m pool we’ve proposed, … Continue reading →

so go ahead and pee in the pool… or in Lake O for that matter… the fish do it too… in other news… Simon Cowell and Gweneth Paltrow don’t know what they are talking about! Cheers, Rob   It may … Continue reading →

Here we go again!  The first LOST swim of 2013!  The LOST Polar Bear Dip!  woohoo!!! It worked well last year, so we’ll give it a go again this year… we’ll keep it plain and simple, no sign up, no … Continue reading →

Hey… a guy can dream… swimming and sailing the days away… nice… Cheers, Rob Location (Outside USA): St John US Virgin Islands State: Non-USA Country: Virgin Islands Listed: December 12, 2012 7:29 pm Expires: 58 days, 5 hours     … Continue reading →

December, 11, 2012 ISTANBUL – The city of Windsor, Ont., will host the FINA World Swimming Championships in 2016 after being awarded the right on the eve of this year’s event in Istanbul. “I have the pleasure to announce that … Continue reading →

Okay, there are getting to be quite a few of these rankings of the top extreme races around the world, but that’s okay… it’s fun to read about them, even though the ranking is always subjective… kinda cool to have … Continue reading →

This one is really cool… and somehow it has escaped my notice until now!  (thanks for sending me the link to the 50 Challenges book, Rick!… although I think this might not have been the one you were focussing on… … Continue reading →

… so for those of you that don’t know it, there are two age group swim clubs in Oakville… the Oakville Aquatic Club (OAK) and the Oakville Dolphins.  And the two stories below from the Swim Canada website demonstrate the difference… and … Continue reading →

… so here’s one that’s is long overdue… a couple of stories about Peter von Euw!  Pete is one of my oldest friends (as is friends I’ve known the longest… he’s the same age as me… so he’s really pretty … Continue reading →

I just got this email (below) from Borut Strel, Martin “Big River Man” Strel’s son, who runs the vacation swimming trip business with his dad.  They are both great guys and these trips look like a lot of fun and are in spectacular … Continue reading →

Hi all, Here is a Distance / Triathlon swim training camp offered over the Holidays at the NEW Regent Park 25m pool in downtown Toronto (Parliament & Dundas area).  Not quite as exotic as Martin and Borut’s swim trips… but … Continue reading →

So here is one that is hardly contreversial at all… cutting off the Livestrong bracelet!  Unlike Lance, I couldn’t avoid the topic any longer. I got my Livestrong bracelet in 2004, right at the peak of Lance-mania!  And I’ve never, ever … Continue reading →

           For a limited time, you can get a VORTEX Fullsuit or a VECTOR PROFullsuit plus: Transition Backpack Wetsuit Hanger Race Belt All for $199 or$279. Enter HOLIDAY-VX in the Discount Code Box to get the … Continue reading →

Hey all, So I just got an email from an Aussie race director yesterday… his name is Grant Siedle and he is the founder of a new 30k solo & relay race in Melbourne, Australia.  He sent me the details of … Continue reading →

Sorry… sold out in no time… to 5 lucky LOSTies!!! Okay, so we’ve accumulated “Xterra Points” (kind of like “air miles”)… but the catch is I have to use them by the end of the year!  So I’m going to … Continue reading →

So Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii is the pinnacle of triathlon races for all triathletes… but it is also for all those manufacturers of all the swim, bike and run products!  Naturally, therefore everyone (sponsors and manufacturers especially) want … Continue reading →

Hi all, So here is one cool part of LOST… I get all kinds of people emailing me wondering if they are “good enough” to come out and swim with LOST… and I tell them, we take ‘em all! (although … Continue reading →

Hi all, So the voting for the WOWSA awards (World Open Water Swimming Awards) has opened… and we’ve nominated a LOSTie… Annaleise Carr is up for the Woman of the Year award! There are 4 awards to vote on: Man of the … Continue reading →

So last year a bunch of us LOSTies went to the Tampa Bay Marathon Swim… and the Swim Around Key West… well, here is another one that deserves a closer look, could be a cool swim to do too! Here … Continue reading →

Hey, a big CONGRATS to Helene!  From Peterborough to Kona! Helene just completed her first Ironman World Championship in Kona!  She is quite literally one of the best Ironmen in the world!  Very cool. I haven’t heard from her directly … Continue reading →

So here it is… the much anticipated announcement for the location of Ironman Canada is… Whistler, BC!!! Recall Ironman Canada got the boot from Penticton after 30 years when “Challenge”, the European Iron-distance race series, convinced the City of Penticton … Continue reading →

So our old friend, Greg Pace, (um, not old, as in old… just that we’ve known each other for a long time! haha) of the Tri Club of Burlington and Pace Performance Triathlon Training has put together a new program: … Continue reading →

… and in case the tattoo story from the post below this one, also from Steve Munatones’ Open Water Source, isn’t your bag… here’s some light reading you can do over the winter… or something to read while you are … Continue reading →

Hi all, So here is an interesting story… and pictures from Open Water Source!  Or at least I think so, not just because I’m in it… although that might have something to do with it!  ;-) PS. you can click … Continue reading →

Hi all, I just got an email from my buddy, Ron Collins, who runs the Tampa Bay Marathon Swim!  Entry is now open for next year… and given that Tampa Bay cools off in the winter, it’s a great place to … Continue reading →

Here is a good one… courtesy Jen Alexander.  Jen is from Halifax and we met in Dover in 2006 when we both attempted (unsuccessfully!) to cross the English Channel.  She has gone on to do some other great swims though, including … Continue reading →

So by now most of you have heard that IM Canada in Penticton is no longer… it is now “Challenge Penticton”… part of the “Challenge Series” of Iron-distance races.  (see previous post about that: http://lostswimming.com/?p=5072 ).  So there has been a … Continue reading →

It really was a beautiful swim!  One of the best all year.  The water was 60F/15C… flat as glass and the clearest I think I’ve ever seen it! You could probably see for 20 – 30 feet… that’s what I … Continue reading →

… no, not a marathon swimmer… a marathon runner… but we’ll let him in anyway!  So our local running buddy, Stephen Connor, was nice enough to invite us LOSTies to attend a speech with his Connor’s Runners, where he brought in … Continue reading →

Hi all, So here is some info to keep in mind for next year… a whole series of open water swim races in beautiful Vermont!  Phil White has started a very “LOST-like” swimming environment there and it too is thriving!  … Continue reading →

Australia’s Trent Grimsey has set a new world record after swimming across the English Channel. Picture: Herald Sun Source: Herald Sun   TRENT Grimsey, FINA’s top ranked Open Water swimmer, has broken the record for crossing of the English Channel. … Continue reading →

Chloe McCardel swam the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim in 2010, the year I swam it… but she won it!  My memory of her was when I was swimming in the last kilometer and seeing her running along the breakwater cheering me in!… … Continue reading →

… 5 years ago a bunch of us did IM Wisconsin… Brett wasn’t one of them… in fact, he’d never done a triathlon 5 years ago.  But yesterday, he did his second Ironman, (he was part of the group of … Continue reading →

Mick is a buddy of mine who I spent 7 days with in the middle of the Sahara Desert when we did the 250 km run across the desert in Marathon des Sables.  He’s a classic Aussie, tough as freakin’ … Continue reading →

… it was a dark and stormy day… really. Someone emailed on Friday asking if we still swim if it is raining? Reasonable question… and the answer of course was “if there is no lightning then sure… why not?!” But… … Continue reading →

Crap.  That really sucks.  I (and everyone else) really wanted her to make it.  I got an email from Colleen at 9:43 pm… not surprisingly she wasn’t in a real chatty mood… just said that she’s out… 6 miles from … Continue reading →

You know she’s doing well when I just got my first email asking me to guess when she’ll be done… and she’s only 10 hours into it! I haven’t heard anything from the crew, they may still be in the … Continue reading →