Brighten Your Day

14 year-old completes 32 mile swim across Lake Ontario raising over $90,000

August 22, 2012

Annaleise Carr is the youngest person to swim across Lake Ontario taking the traditional Marilyn Bell path. Carr's hero, Marilyn Bell, completed the journey in 1954 at the age of 16.

This incredibly long distance swim took Carr over 27 hours, swimming over night and into the next day. Superior mental and physical strength played a major factor in completing this journey. The determination of this 14 year-old girl is an inspiration to athletes of any age.

Carr's goal was to raise $30,000 for Camp Trillium, a summer camp for children with cancer. Soon after, she increased her goal to raise $50,000. She never dreamed she would raise over $90,000 from thousands of online contributions, with the largest individual donation coming in at a whopping $10,000.

Carr's swimming coach Lisa Anderson watched her progress by boat making sure she was eating and drinking plenty of water during the entire swim. She also helped with her focus and form.

Although there were times of calm water, there were equal amounts of hurdles. Strong winds caused choppy water making it much more difficult to swim and stay afloat.

Carr finally reached the finish at Marilyn Bell Park where she was welcomed with hundreds of awaiting fans cheering on their new hero. What an amazing accomplishment at only 14 years old. She not only completed a milestone for herself, but selflessly raised a ton of money for a good cause at the same time.