By Andrew Rafferty
Natalie Lambert emerged from Lake Erie on Sunday and walked straight to her father, Ron, who had a bear-sized hug ready for his record-setting daughter.
As the two embraced on an empty beach at Sturgeon Point Marina in Derby, it didn’t resemble the type of fanfare that might be expected for a teen who just set three world records.
The 14-year-old spent almost eight hours swimming her way across Lake Erie, and as she exited the water, she looked energetic enough to swim her way back.
“My body is tight and I’m hungry, but other than that I’m pretty good,” Natalie said.
She traversed from Crystal Beach, Ont., to Sturgeon Point Marina in 7 hours, 47 minutes and 30 seconds. She is now the fastest and youngest person to make the 19-kilometer swim.
What makes it more impressive is that she is the first to do it using the butterfly stroke — considered one of the most demanding styles of swimming.
“I love the challenge of it,” said Natalie of why she swam butterfly. “It’s considered one of the hardest strokes.”
These three new records go on top of the two she earned from swimming across Lake Ontario from Sackets Harbor to Kingston, Ont., last summer. She made the 54-kilometer route in 23 hours and 15 minutes, making her the youngest and fastest person ever to complete that swim.
But the humble teen isn’t looking for recognition. She didn’t get into marathon swimming for herself — she did it for her older sister, Jenna, who has cerebral palsy and motivated Natalie to attempt marathon swims in the first place.
More important to Natalie than the records is bringing awareness to athletes with disabilities. She got into marathon swimming in 2006 when her then 15-year-old sister swam for 32 hours to become the first female with a physical disability to successfully cross Lake Ontario.
“Seeing her doing that, using her God-given talents, it was just amazing,” said Natalie.
So when the all-star swimmer sets her records, she does it for the Y Penguins Aquatic Club, a program at the Kingston, Ont., YMCA that allows children with physical disabilities to swim alongside their able-bodied siblings. Her Lake Ontario venture raised $44,000 for the cause.
Sunday’s swim was geared more towards raising awareness than money, Natalie said.
And as Natalie’s family, friends and coach packed into boats and a kayak to follow her on Sunday, it was Jenna who was her biggest cheerleader.
But the Harrowsmith, Ont., native didn’t seem to need much motivation. When she launched out from Crystal Beach at 7:30 a.m., she wasn’t looking to set a speed record.
But her coach noticed her pace was fast enough to break the previous mark of eight hours and 14 minutes set last summer.
“In some respects, she accidently set that record,” said Vicki Keith, Natalie’s coach of 71/2 years.
Every half hour, Natalie would break to be given food and water by her coach, who followed her in a kayak. She had to stay in the water and could not so much as touch anyone else for the record to be legitimate.
The teen trains year round with Keith, who holds 16 world records in marathon swimming, including being the first person to cross all five Great Lakes in 1988. Keith has helped Natalie overcome her fear of the open water and her biggest fright — seaweed.
Another battle Natalie fights during the long swims is boredom. During Sunday’s swim she did math problems and sang songs in her head to pass the time. “Sometimes I think about what I’m going to think about next,” she said.
It’s Natalie’s maturity that has most impressed Keith. Last summer, she attempted the 52-kilometer (32.4-mile) crossing from Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., to Toronto, but 12-foot waves caused her to get out of the water just 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) short of the finish.
“She looked at me and said, ‘I don’t want to hurt my body,’ ” said Keith.
But crossing just one Great Lake each summer isn’t enough for Natalie who, weather permitting, will rechallenge the Niagara-on- the-Lake to Toronto route on July 21.
“Every time she does a swim,” said Ron Lambert, “I am unbelievably proud as a father.”
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Originally published by NEWS STAFF REPORTER.
(c) 2008 Buffalo News. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
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