A Great Lakes Odyssey

                                                                                             In the beginning, there was Man and Woman,

                                                                                             and they begat a child.  In a perfect world, the

                                                                                             man and woman would have time and

                                                                                             resources to raise the child.  We don't live in a

                                                                                             perfect world however, and sometimes

                                                                                             parents have difficulty providing enough

                                                                                             attention and guidance to their children.  This

                                                                                             can be especially challenging for single

                                                                                             parents.​

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                                                                                             The Big Brothers Big Sisters Program works to​

                                                                                             bridge the gap between parent's resources and​

                                                                                             the needs of their children by matching willing​

                                                                                             adults with children needing more attention.​

                                                                                             Big Brothers Big Sisters volunteers make a​

                                                                                             difference by providing mentorship and​

                                                                                             friendship to children in need.

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                                                                                             Hoping to make a difference by raising funds​

                                                                                             and bringing awareness to the Big Brothers Big​

                                                                                             Sisters Program through his athleticism,​

                                                                                             triathlete Jim Dreyer set out to become the first​

                                                                                             to swim between Wisconsin and Michigan​

                                                                                             across Lake Michigan's mid-section, in a 1998 event entitled Swim for New Horizons.  While successful in setting a new Lake Michigan distance record, swimming three times the width of the English Channel with a 65-mile crossing, Jim's career-defining motto was born after Lake Michigan's tremendous currents added an additional 15 miles to a grueling swim ... "Quitting is not an option."  The Great Lakes Ultra-Marathon Series was born after the local Big Brothers Big Sisters programs in West Michigan grew by 30 - 40% following the Lake Michigan swim.  Jim knew he must continue.  There were other Great Lakes and there would be other quests.

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One by one, Jim would begin crossing the remaining "freshwater seas" off his list as the Big Brothers Big Sisters Program continued to grow.  In 1999, he would set new speed and distance records for crossing Lake Huron, but the feat was not without its perils.  It took three attempts, as his support boat nearly sunk in a violent storm, he was treated as a burn patient when he lost most of the skin off his mid section, and he was separated from his support boat and lost at the end of the swim.  Jim emerged from the water while a search for his body was being conducted.

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                                                          Due to the fact that lakes Erie and ​

                                                          Ontario were narrower than his

                                                          previous quests, Jim set out in

                                                          2000 to swim the two lakes in a

                                                          single triathlon event combining

                                                          Ironman-distance running and

                                                          biking, entitled Tri for New

                                                          Horizons.  On his first attempt he

                                                          fell short of his triathlon goal, but

                                                          set a solo ​duathlon world distance

                                                          record, ​when losing consciousness

                                                          before ​getting on his bike following

                                                          a swim ​across Lake Erie and a

                                                          marathon ​run through the beach

                                                          sand.  Not ​one to to give up easily,

                                                          Jim came ​back a month later and

                                                          set a solo ​triathlon world distance

                                                          record ​when he ran 26.2 miles

through the ​sand along Lake Erie, biked 130 miles, and swam a 55.9 mile near double-crossing of Lake Ontario (a storm forced the swim to be aborted just 13 miles short of the finish on the return).​

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In 2001, Jim would embark on a quest to earn the coveted crown jewel that would complete "The Drive for Five" ... Lake Superior, the big lake called Gitche Gumee ... always rough and always cold, it is arguably the most intimidating body of fresh water on the planet.  In the Quest for Gitche Gumee and the Gitche Gumee 100, Jim would achieve unprecedented success on Lake Superior while falling short in those efforts to cross her expanse.

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There is a reason why Superior was saved for last in Jim's quest to swim across all five Great Lakes.  In five attempts over the next four years, Gitche Gumee would prevent Jim from crossing her.  In the attempted crossings however, Jim would break his own solo duathlon world distance record and twice set new Lake​ Superior distance records while braving 37-degree water temperatures and a storm that swept him 20 miles off course.  The medical implications of his battles with Superior include

                                                                                                         temporary paralysis of his legs due to

                                                                                                         severe hypothermia, kidney shutdown

                                                                                                         and a shoulder that wouldn't stay in

                                                                                                         joint due to the break down of muscle

                                                                                                         tissue.

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                                                                                                         Just 12 days after being turned back in

                                                                                                         his 2003 Lake Superior swim, Jim was

                                                                                                         back in the water, this time in Michigan

                                                                                                         City, Indiana, attempting to become the

                                                                                                         first to swim the length of a Great Lake,

                                                                                                         in the Lake Michigan 35o.  The challenge

                                                                                                         was undertaken as a self-sufficient

                                                                                                         event, as he would tow 75-100 pounds of

                                                                                                         supplies in a kayak from his ankles.  He battled 15-20 foot waves on six different occasions, including the time he survived the remnants of Hurricane Isabel and had to fight his way back to the Michigan shoreline after being blown nearly half way to Wisconsin.  In the end, he covered an estimated 422 miles, in 18 consecutive stages over 30 days, crossing under the Mackinac Bridge and setting the world distance record for a staged self-sufficient swim ... yet another unthinkable milestone.  This journey was equivalent to towing the weight of his supplies 20 times across the English Channel in a span of 30 days.

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Finally in 2005, Jim discovered an unlikely secret to achieving victory on Superior ... swimming it alone.  Towing a dinghy with 250 pounds of supplies, including his navigational equipment, he set out from Michigan's upper peninsula to find his way to Canada.  During the Solo Superior journey, he survived a total failure of his GPS navigational system, while 25 miles from the nearest shore, forcing him to depend on a $6.99 wrist compass and the stars to guide him.  After re-rigging his attachment to the dingly, in order to mount a flashlight for reading his compass, the attachment came loose and his lifeline of supplies were swept away

from him in the strong currents.  He was

​forced to swim as hard as he could for

​half an hour to catch his supply dinghy

​... or die.  Near the end, Jim fought ​

through a monster thunderstorm with ​

60 mph winds that were producing

​waves in excess of 15 feet.  Towing a

​dinghy now filled with water against

​strong storm-driven rip currents, that

​were trying to pull him back out to sea,

​he finally fought his way to shore.  He

​was rescued in the night, stranded on the

side of a cliff along a rugged and remote

Canadian shoreline, nearly 60 miles and

60 hours from embarkation. 

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Not having a support boat with 8-10 other lives in danger, Jim was able to persevere and ultimately achieve success.  He had completed his "Drive for Five," by swimming his fifth Great Lake, and becoming the first to swim across a Great Lake self-sufficiently.  This incredible adventure set the world distance record for a continuous self-sufficient swim, and beat his two previous Lake Superior distance records.

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It has been said that Jim Dreyer has stretched the limits of known human capabilities ... all while facing seemingly insurmountable obstacles.  His accomplishments as an ultra-marathon athlete are nothing short of astounding, and even more so when you learn that just two years before he set his first of 16 records with a swim across Lake Michigan, he was afraid of the water from a near-drowning as a child, and barely knew how to dog-paddle.  His story is one of spirit and determination. 

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Jim Dreyer's Death-Defying Swim

Read Northern Express Magazine's account of The Shark's Lake Superior crossing ...

the crown jewel of the Drive for Five.

Great Lakes Ultra-Marathon Series Promotional Video