Swimmer completes 50K Ottawa River marathon

Sarah Dobbin did not give it a second thought earlier than leaping feet-first into the Ottawa River early Thursday morning, assured in her potential to swim 50 kilometres by day’s finish.

The undeniable fact that she’d by no means swum that far earlier than — even in coaching — was no deterrent. 

“I’ve always said I could swim all day, so I’m going to try,” the 50-year-old instructed CBC earlier than plunging into the water behind Parliament Hill. 

Fifteen hours later, she had succeeded. Dobbin swam downstream, ending her journey in Wendover, Ont., simply previous Rockland, the place she was greeted with applause by followers who adopted her on social media and thru an internet tracker. 

She swam at a tempo of about 3 km/h, stopping each 35 minutes to refuel with meals and replenish her electrolytes. 

“I feel exhausted but elated,” she mentioned with a triumphant smile after rising from the water and strolling ashore unassisted.

Making it official

Minutes earlier than she arrived, family and friends members urged the gang to maintain a wholesome distance from Dobbin and to chorus from serving to her out of the water.

It’s one of many guidelines set out by the Marathon Swimmers Federation (MSF), which Dobbin was following in an effort to make this the primary formally documented swim of its sort within the Ottawa River. 

Dobbin was additionally not allowed to the touch the boat that adopted alongside as she swam, and couldn’t put on a wetsuit.

“It’s really interesting to carve out these new routes because when you think about something like the English Channel, for example, it took one person to do it and then it became an iconic swim after that,” she mentioned. “Maybe this will turn into one of the world’s iconic swims someday.”

Dobbin’s mom Kathy was there to satisfy her when she completed. 

“She’s trained and worked very hard for it,” she mentioned. “I’m just really struck by all the support she’s getting across the city and around the countryside, and she really deserves it…. I’m very proud of her.” 

Ottawa Riverkeeper CEO Laura Reinsborough shared that sentiment. Along with carving out a brand new path within the river, Dobbin’s purpose was to lift cash for the group. 

“She’s been raising awareness about this incredible river system, how swimmable it is, but also the need for everybody to protect it,” Reinsborough mentioned. “She’s making a huge impact today.”

An enormous deal in Wendover

“I think she’s doing something really nice for Ottawa,” mentioned Wendover resident Nathalie Tougas. “Coming all the way down from the Parliament Hill to here, I think it’s a big thing. And also to stop in our little town, I think that’s amazing.”

For Tougas’s nine-year-old son Jonathan, swimming 50 kilometres is an thrilling feat.

“I want to see her because it’s a big event,” he mentioned. “She’s a good swimmer, and I wouldn’t be able to do that.” 

Dobbin mentioned the hardest half wasn’t the bodily problem, however the psychological one.

“Just pushing through all the mental sort of stuff that was going on … wanting to give up multiple times,” she mentioned. But the encouragement from strangers alongside the way in which helped her by way of.

“There were some incredible moments where it just like really spurred you on, like all of the ferries lining up at the Cumberland Ferry, all tooting their horns at me,” she mentioned. “I’m so grateful for all the support.”