English Channel is known the world over. The Catalina Channel, the Strait of Gibraltar and the Cook Strait are also quite popular in the marathon swimming world. But Rob Kent of the Lake Ontario Swim Team is doing his best to promote and maintain the tradition of swimming across Lake Ontario – whose history is filled with the heroes of marathon swimming’s past.

Swimmers like Vicki Keith, Marilyn Bell, John Kinsella, Cindy Nicholas and Claudio Plit are among the people who have swum at least 50K across one of the Great Lakes of North America. Miguel Vadillo, a Mexican now living in Canada, became the latest person to achieve this swim, 18 hours and 4 minutes after he started and a long night out on the lake.

“I’m just glad it’s over. I wanted to quit four times,” said Miguel of the 21°C (70°F) water. “But when the sun came back it was like coming back to life.”

Miguel also raised over $10,000 for Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart Program that helps children in financial need learn how to swim. “If just a few kids get the life insurance of learning how to swim then I’m even happier about that than I am to be out of the water. I wanted to do something good.”

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