Liz Fry Swims Like Clockwork

Courtesy of Janet Kylander Manning, Lake Michigan.

Clockwork.

As the clock continues to tick without fail, so does Elizabeth Fry.

The 61-year-old International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Honor Swimmer swam steadily, stroke after stroke, and finished yet another marathon swim in her long and storied career.

This time, Janet Kylander Manning reported that Fry finished a 57.1 km crossing of Lake Michigan from Promontory Point in Chicago to Michigan City, Indiana in 21 hours 45 minutes 6 seconds, “She looks super glad to be done, in her parka and on the boat.”

It was Fry third career lake marathon swim in the Great Lakes after her successes between Canada and the USA: 50.5 km crossing of Lake Ontario in 15 hours 46 minutes at the age of 58, a 55.5 km crossing of Lake Huron in 20 hours 54 minutes at the age of 59.

Fellow Hall of Famer Marcia Cleveland correctly predicted her friend Fry would take between 20 and 24 hours. Cleveland explains more, “This is the first time a cross-lake swim has started from the iconic Promontory Point.

This is, to my knowledge, the first time this 35.5-mile course has been swum. I wanted to pick a starting point that screams Chicago, can be replicated from either direction, and is especially visible when coming due west. The corner of Promontory Point fits the bill since it is bracketed by the Museum of Science & Industry (the only building still standing from the World’s Fair in 1898) on the southern side and downtown Chicago on the northern side. There is also a swim group that goes off this Point and the water is just beautiful.”

Her swim was tracked here.

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