Delafield girl turns into first particular person to swim the size of Lake Winnebago

LAKE WINNEBAGO, Wis. (WBAY) – Melodee Liegl of Delafield turned the primary particular person ever to swim the complete size of Lake Winnebago on Tuesday, finishing the 27.8-mile journey in slightly below 17 hours.

Liegl, 59, entered the water close to the Fond du Lac lighthouse on the southern tip of the lake at 4 a.m. and reached shore at Waverly Beach in Menasha round 9 p.m.

Dozens gathered at Waverly Beach to mark her arrival, which got here close to sundown.

The swim

Liegl maintained a tempo of roughly two miles per hour all through the day, with transient stops for meals and hydration. The distance was one she had by no means swum for time earlier than.

Liegl is a former U.S. Masters Swimming All-American who has taken on long-distance swims on Wisconsin waters 12 months after 12 months.

“This has been on my bucket list for a while and I wanted to accomplish this one in sometime in the near future, so I thought this year was the year to do it. For me, it’s the challenge and it’s not always about the time it takes to finish but it’s more about the finish itself,” Liegl mentioned.

The crew behind the swim

Liegl spent a number of weeks planning the try with observer Qing Li and native boat information Troy Peterson of Mr. Bluegill Guide Service, who documented her progress on social media.

Peterson mentioned the crew recognized Tuesday as the perfect climate window for the swim, with gentle waves and minimal wind.

“Melodee’s going to be 60 years old. She’s got the heart of a champion. She has been extremely positive through this whole thing. I think these people just get into like a trance almost. I couldn’t imagine doing, you know, even driving 16 hours, more or less swimming in the water for 16 hours,” Peterson mentioned.