Colorado man plans 140-mile swim throughout Lake Powell

LAKE POWELL — A Colorado man plans to finish an unprecedented, 140-mile swim throughout Lake Powell.

49-year-old Shane Schieffer instructed KSL TV he expects to start his 10-day journey on Sept. 2.

“I’m attempting to be the first person swimming the full length of Lake Powell,” Schieffer stated throughout an interview on Tuesday. “I plan to do 14 miles a day, so basically swimming as long as I can while it’s light, every day.”

Adding to the problem, Schieffer stated he would even be tugging 215 lbs. of provides and kit with him on a paddleboard.

“I’m doing it expedition-style — I’ve got this rig behind me, I’m pulling all my gear self-supported,” Schieffer stated. “(The paddle board) just attaches with a long boom pole to my waist, and I swim, and it just tugs along behind me.”

It could be an unbelievable feat for many, and it most likely would have additionally appeared that technique to Schieffer earlier within the 12 months, given he had not swum meaningfully in 18 years.

Schieffer, the chief working officer at VersaClimber, stated he began coaching on the upright energy and conditioning machine for 20 minutes a day in March.

He started to check himself with progressively longer swims, together with a 10-hour swim three months into his coaching.

“I went to the pool, and I swam 1,250 flip turns — 17.5 miles in a 25-yard pool,” Schieffer stated.

He quickly eyed a a lot bigger journey — swimming throughout Lake Powell.

“I have a safety crew out there, so they’ll make sure I’m okay,” Schieffer stated. “I’ve anticipated about 200,000 rotations of the shoulders out there in the water.”

Schieffer stated he all the time “daydreamed” of contributing a narrative to the journey neighborhood.

“I thought, ‘what’s my expression of my, kind of, curiosity for the limits of myself and the outdoors,” he stated.

He stated he anticipated to do fairly a little bit of self-reflection alongside the best way.

“It’s just a chance to reflect on life a little bit as a person, try to figure out how I can handle hard things in new ways and maybe how I can take myself and my adventures to the next level,” Schieffer stated.

Schieffer stated anybody may comply with his journey on Instagram.