Annaleise Carr ready to take the plunge again

(Update)

She’s the middle school student who took on Lake Ontario. Annaleise Carr shot to fame after swimming across Lake Ontario in 2012. And now, one week from today, Carr is aiming to become the youngest person to cross Lake Erie.

It was a remarkable moment. The final strokes of a 27 hour journey into the record books.

And finally, Annaleise Carr had achieved her goal. At 14, she was the youngest person to swim across Lake Ontario.

The trip made international headlines, earned Carr a Diamond Jubilee medal, and thrust her into the spotlight. But that was then. And this is now.

Carr is back in the water, doing the leg, and arm work in preparation to become the youngest person to cross Lake Erie.

Annaleise Carr: “Well I’m excited right now but I think the day of I’m going to be nervous.”

Nervous because this swim will be much longer than Lake Ontario. Back in 2012, Carr swam 52 kilometers from Niagara on the Lake, to Marilyn Bell Park in Toronto. But this time she will leave from Erie, Pennsylvania and stroke a daunting 75 kilometers across one of the widest sections of Lake Erie. But Carr is driven by a passion that was born when she visited Camp Trillium back in 2011.

Carr: “I don’t think I would have ever thought of swimming across the lake — but seeing that camp was amazing.”

Camp Trillium is a place where children suffering from cancer can spend time with their families, away from the hospital.

Carr: “I got to meet some of the families and see some of the kids there, and just see how happy they were, and how everyone could forget about what was happening outside of this camp, and it was almost like a safe haven.”

In 2012 she had hoped to raise $30 thousand, but her swim brought in $200 thousand.

Now the stakes are higher. And Carr is training for 2 to 3 hours per night.

Paula Jongerden is her coach: “If she can swim 50, she can swim 70”

Coach Paula Jongerden crossed Lake Erie back in 2002, and she knows there are mental hurdles to overcome: “It’s very easy to hit what they call walls.”

Those walls are thoughts, negative thoughts that creep into your mind during a swim. One way Annaleise works to overcome them is by thinking about Camp Trillium. And about where she is swimming too.

One of the reasons why this swim will be so long is where Anneliese has decided to finish. Coming directly across Lake Erie would only be about 40 kilometers but would end up here at Long Point. Anneliese has decided to go around Long Point and continue on to Port Dover, right near her home.

Carr is from nearby Walsh, Ontario. She has been well supported by Norfolk County. In 2012 bad weather forced her swim to go 9 hours longer than expected, so this time, Carr will use the added inspiration to carry her in: “Her Grandpa told her, think of it, you’re swimming home, and she is cause this is where she lives.

She raised $200 thousand last time for Camp Trillium and that’s the goal this time. She’s already raised $100 thousand and it’s still a week before she steps into the water.

 Annaleise will join Bob and Annette next Tuesday on Morning Live.