An afternoon swim: Forsyth spends lunch breaks swimming in Kentucky River

An afternoon swim: Forsyth spends lunch breaks swimming in Kentucky River

Published 6:15 pm Monday, September 14, 2026

Jeff Forsyth has discovered a method to rework his work break into one thing distinctive.

“I could either sit in the office or go to a local food joint … I decided to do something different,” Forsyth mentioned.

Since 2023, he’s used his lunch hour to run round Frankfort or take swims within the Kentucky River.

“That particular year, I had a whole bunch of people pointing fingers at me, calling the police, everything else,” he mentioned. “There’s been some interesting altercations that have happened, although I was never fined or arrested.”

Individuals have advised the dangers that will come, together with attainable encounters with animal life, but it surely hasn’t detracted from experiencing the river in his allotted free time.

“I’ve had people suggest that snakes and things of that nature are in and around the river, but in my three years of swimming, I’ve yet to see a single snake, but I have seen river rats along the banks, that’s it,” Forsyth mentioned.

For him, taking a dive is an opportunity to reap the benefits of one thing that isn’t utilized by many.

“This wonderful river is sitting right outside of everybody’s front door, and it gets ignored,” Forsyth mentioned.

Forsyth is an IT community engineer working for Kentucky increased training. Previously, he labored as an impartial contractor for roughly 30-plus years. During his stint as a contractor, he was a reservist within the United States Navy and retired after 22 years.

He’s lived in Portland, Oregon, Washington State, Australia, and different locations all through the world. He moved to Kentucky in 2017, and lives in Lexington.

This November, Forsyth is working towards Kentucky House District 75 incumbent Lindsey Burke. The space encompasses Fayette County.