Swimmer racks up over 1,000 miles

By Elizabeth Saunders
Staff Writer
The Register-Herald

"When I'm finished next month, I will have swum the distance from here to Winnipeg, Canada."

Gordon Kangas' amazing journey spanned over three years, a heart attack followed by a triple bypass, and, to be exact, 1,050 miles of swimming.

Kangas, an Eaton resident since the 1970s, recently accomplished a major goal he set for himself, to swim the distance of 1,000 miles - 36,000 laps - in the Preble County YMCA's pool.

It all started in June 2003 when Dell Farmer, Kangas' friend, signed up for the "Swim Lake Erie" challenge. This is a program at the Y which challenges members to swim 210 miles - 7,392 laps. Farmer asked Kangas if he, too, would like to participate in the challenge.

"I said no, but when I came in the next day, Dell said he had signed me up anyway."

After that, according to Kangas, his main motivation was competition.

"We were very competitive too, if I'd leave early, he'd (Farmer) stay late. I started to worry that he was going to get way ahead of me," Kangas joked.

Since he is retired, Kangas decided to devote more time to the competition. This strategy paid off, not only did he complete the challenge - he did it twice.

"When I was coming to the end of the 'Lake Erie Swim' the first time, I put a Canadian flag on the starting block. When I had finished, a friend of mine handed me a brown paper bag, inside was a six-pack of Canadian beer."

As he was finishing his second Lake Erie Swim, the former director of the YMCA, Josh Shollenberger, told Kangas about a woman in Dayton who had swum 1,000 miles over a span of 10 years.

Averaging about two miles per day - 72 laps, six days a week, Kangas kept swimming. He charted his progress by using Map Quest, marking his trip as though he were traveling roads and highways. At 890 miles, he "swam" through his hometown Eveleth, in northern Minnesota, and soon after, crossed the Canadian boarder.

Within only a few hundred miles of his ultimate goal, in December 2005 while shopping, Kangas began suffering chest pain, which turned out to be a heart attack.

Triple bypass surgery and his subsequent recovery kept him out of the pool for over six months. Upon his return to swimming, Kangas was able to manage only a few laps at a time.

Over time, with determination, he regained some of his former stride.

On Flag Day, June 11, 2006, he reached Kenora, Canada, 1,000 miles from Eaton. Fifty miles from Kenora is Winnipeg, Canada, and since he's "always wanted to go there," he has decided to make that his terminus.

Shortly after completing the 1,000-mile trip, the YMCA presented Kangas with a plaque, which will hang in the YMCA lobby, representing the "Gordon Kangas 1000-Mile Swim Club."

Kangas said he will not try for another 1,000 miles, he's done now and will swim only for "recreation" from now on.

He said the accomplishment made him feel good; however, he gives most of the credit for his accomplishment to the Preble County YMCA.

"If it weren't for the Y opening here in Eaton, I never would have had the opportunity to do this."