Three local swimmers braved the cold waters of Lake Superior to join in the 2.2-mile Point La Point swim held in Bayfield, Wisconsin on July 29. From L-R: Lynne Wiitala, Dave Nonnemacher and Ann Bellman.
Three Cook County residents, all members of the YMCA Masters swim program, participated in the 2.1-mile Point La Pointe swim from Bayfield, Wisconsin to Madeline Island on July 29.
Lynne Wiitala finished in 1:15:32, placing 10th in her age group. Dave Nonnemacher hit the beach at Madeline Island in 1:07:06. Ann Bellman finished in 1:12:37, placing fourth in her age group, only three seconds from a podium finish. Bellman stopped in the race to help a woman who had been kicked in the head, otherwise she would have placed in the top three for her age group.
Each completed the Lake Superior open water swim within their goal times that they set for the event.
“The water was 68F; it was a perfect day,” said Wiitala. “There was a little swell, a little bit of current in the middle of the race, but not much. I heard later from some of the organizers that this might have been the best day yet for the event.”
Swimming to Madeline Island has been a storied feat around the Bayfield area for decades. Starting as a community swim for 24 people in 2006, Point La Pointe has grown into a thriving community event hosting more than 500 swimmers last year.
To train for the swim Wiitala spent about one hour twice a week at the YMCA pool over the winter with Bellman, Nonnemacher and other members of the Y adult swim team. “The most that I swam was 3,300 yards, so I knew I could make the distance,” said Wiitala. “During the spring we started to go to Mink Lake and did some open water swims. Last fall some of us swam from Artist Point to the Best Western. The water was colder than it was at Bayfield, but it was a good experience.”
When asked if she would swim the Point La Pointe race again, Wiitala said she was already making plans for next year, and looking at other open water swimming events to enter.
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