Omena resident Lee Jameson decided to challenge himself and give back to his community this summer when he decided to swim the Mackinac Bridge during a fundraiser in July.
Jameson was accompanied by his wife Barbara Nelson-Jameson and his daughter, Emily Jameson, who traveled from Washington to watch her father.
“My daughter was a big motivator. She started swimming at the age of 5 all the way through high school. I’ve always enjoyed swimming. I’ve always enjoyed being in the water,” he said. “It was her turn to watch me after we went to all her swimming meets while she was growing up.”
Jameson has never swam competitively in his life, but he got used to the smell of a pool thanks to his daughter who competed competitively.
Prior to retirement, Jameson, was the facility manager at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
Swimming the straits is something that has captivated Jameson over the past couple of years.
Jameson, 70, admits there was a time back in the day where he might show up and try to do something like this without training, but those days are long gone.
“I needed to prepare, so the year prior I volunteered for the event,” he said. “I figured that would be a good way to get an idea of what it would require.”
Jameson watched swimmers from a kayak as a volunteer to provide support to swimmers in need.
“That was fun itself just to see the straights and the bridge from the water is unique. I did that then I decided I’d love to swim in it and I did start putting some time in the pool and in the open water once things warmed up enough (this spring/summer).”
Jameson would train, swimming at the YMCA in Traverse City or in Omena Bay. He also sought help from Dr. Carrie Sands in Leland who has a multidisciplinary health care practice focused on sports rehabilitation, chiropractic, and more.
Jameson first had to qualify for the fundraiser before competing. The swim is 4.5 miles as the crow flies, but event organizers say to train as if you are swimming six miles because of various currents, waves, and wind.
“You gotta be prepared for everything,” he said. “I did a couple swims up on the Lake Michigan side of the Leelanau Peninsula just to get some experience in the waves. No matter how much you prepare, you don’t know what the heck you’re gonna get the day of the event. It was a little daunting driving up and as you approach the bridge, the sign that we’re all familiar said ‘high wind advisory.’” The race goes from south to north, from Mackinaw City to Saint Ignace. The key metric for the fundraiser is to be at the second tower of the bridge within two hours.
“If you get that far, unless something unexpected happens, you’re probably gonna make it because you got four hours to do the whole thing. That was the goal and you kind of had an idea when you got to the first tower about how you were doing. Once you got to the second tower, then you knew you had it and it was just a matter of swimming it out. It’s a great group, a wonderful group of people.”
Jameson knows it’s vital to remain active as he ages. He thinks swimming is one of the best exercises because it works all muscle groups.
“It’s so beautiful up here. You couldn’t ask for a better place to swim. It’s so peaceful in the water. To me it’s a perfect thing,” Jameson said.
Jameson doesn’t have any plans to do it again unless it’s with his daughter, Emily.
