English Channel Swim
In August, 2011, Doug McConnell, with the help of his A Long Swim Team, became only the 48th person over age 50 to swim the English Channel, in 14 hours that were divided between heavy waves and pitch black darkness.
A Long Swim Team Celebrating On The Beach At Wissant Bay
The success of the English Channel swim has inspired the A Long Swim Team to continue with marathon swims the next of which will be to circumnavigate Key West, Florida (13 miles) and across the San Pedro Channel, which is between Santa Catalina Island and Long Beach, California (21 miles).
A Long Swim has raised more than $165,000 for the Les Turner ALS Foundation, which funds groundbreaking research at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago, one of the top ALS research laboratories in the world. On the day that Doug finished his English Channel crossing, Northwestern made a breakthrough announcement of the discovery of the common cause of all forms of ALS.
The success of the English Channel swim has inspired the A Long Swim Team to continue with marathon swims and to continue to bring awareness and funding to ALS. In 2012, the A Long Swim Team is planning on swims to circumnavigate Key West, Florida (13 miles) and cross the San Pedro Channel, which is between Santa Catalina Island and Long Beach, California (21 miles).
On this website, you will find Doug’s blog of the story of the preparation, the setbacks, the swims and the exhilaration of accomplishing such an audacious goal. In addition, you will find photos and Videos of the A Long Swim Team’s experiences, a link to donate to the Les Turner ALS Foundation, and examples of Doug’s inspirational presentations to corporate and civic organizations.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.” Nelson Mandela