Lake versus man: weather uncooperative in Flathead swim challenge
Linda Sappington
Mark Johnston attempts a bridge-to-bridge, 26-mile swim covering the length of Flathead Lake Sunday, June 21..
Linda Sappington
Mike McCormick helps prepare the support boat before launching.
Linda Sappington
Mark gives wife Dana a hug before starting his swim at 6:30 a.m.
courtesy photo
Mark Johnston refuels. (Photo by Dana Johnston)
Linda Sappington
Mark swims alongside the support boat as they head out of Bigfork into the vast abyss of Flathead Lake.
Linda Sappington
Linda Sappington
Linda Sappington
Linda Sappington
Linda Sappington
Linda Sappington
Linda Sappington
Linda Sappington
Linda Sappington
Linda Sappington
Linda Sappington
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The longest day of the year might have seemed a bit longer for Polson open-water swimmer Mark Johnston.
With Sunday’s sunrise cresting the Missions and Elton John’s “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” blasting from the support boat, Johnston gave his wife Dana a long hug before plunging into 64 degree water beneath Swan Bridge in Bigfork, wearing only Speedo-type briefs, goggles and a bright yellow swim cap.
Two fishermen had just launched from the Bigfork fishing access site.
“Where you swimming to?” one asked.
“Polson,” Mark replied nonchalantly.
The 26-mile “bridge to bridge” marathon swim was expected to take 13-14 hours with short stops to refuel — nutrition sent like a welcome message in a bottle, tethered with a rope, from the two-person support crew that included Greg McCormick, executive director of the Flathead Lakers.
Swimming by English Channel Rules, Johnston was not allowed to touch the boat that accompanied him as he glided through the waters at a 2 mph pace without the aid of a wetsuit or any other devices.
The swimming feat would have been a first for Flathead Lake, and Johnston.
But Mother Nature had other plans. The weather reports that predicated calm waters were wrong. By 2 p.m. sailboats near Dayton were taking advantage of the strong wind, waves and whitecaps that virtually halted the strong swimmer’s progress. After swimming 7 hours and 20 minutes — covering 15 miles — Mark called it a day.
“We had expected favorable conditions and the crossing would be very doable without the wind,” Mark said.
Not that he’s unfamiliar with discomfort and the grit it takes to achieve.
The former Lake Monsters swim team coach and founder of the Flathead Lake Open Water Swimmers (FLOWSWIMMER) took home two gold medals from a mid-winter race in Lake Memphremagog, Vermont, adding to his lengthy list of competitive accomplishments.
So why do it?
“There is something cathartic about open water swimming, and I can think of nothing better than to spend the day swimming in the cold, clear, clean waters of Flathead Lake,” Johnston said.
Renowned open-water swimmers Sarah Thomas and Craig Lenning will join Mark to attempt the same swim July 3 or 4.
In 2013 Thomas was named Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year for her “unprecedented” double-crossing of Lake Tahoe in Nevada/California — 44.5 miles in 22 hours, 35 minutes — and double-crossing Lake Memphremagog, going 50 miles in 30 hours, 1 minute. In both swims she negative split, meaning she swam the second leg faster than the first — and did both lakes within six weeks of each other.
On Thomas’ heels is Lenning, the second person to swim a double-crossing of Lake Tahoe, and the first man to accomplish the feat. Thomas has completed seven significant channel swims, including the English Channel.
In April 2014, Lenning became the third person to swim from the Farallon Islands to San Francisco, breaking a 47-year success drought. He crossed the ocean waters in 15 hours, 47 minutes.
Whether the Flathead’s behemoth, unpredictable lake will be conquered in future attempts is yet to be seen, but one thing is certain — competitors won’t stop trying.
