SPRINGFIELD, N.H. — Vera Rivard, 14, of Springfield, N.H., became the youngest person to ever cross Lake Memphremagog from South to North on Wednesday July 18th.
She completed the 25-mile International swim called The Search for Memphre in 16 hours, 24 minutes.
Despite a strong headwind for much of the swim, Vera was able to complete the crossing with a smile on her face.
“I’m so glad to have this opportunity and to be swimming in such a beautiful place.” Vera said. She trained for this event for more than a year. “It just proves that hard work pays off and no matter your age, you can set a goal and accomplish it!”
The swim was organized by Phil White and Kingdom Games and was her biggest swim challenge to date. Vera also trains with the Upper Valley Aquatic Club (UVAC) in White River Junction.
The swim starts in Newport, Vt., and finishes in Magog, Quebec. Her support crew was named Team Rivard and included: Kayaker Darcie Rivard (Mom), Support Boat Crew – Kevin Rivard (Dad) and Margaret Rivard (11-year-old Sister)
Mighty and Mischievous Memphremagog greeted the seven open water swimmers participating In Search of Memphre with headwinds from the north ranging from 10 to 20 mph for the first 15 miles. The waves and chop were high.
Two of the seven completed the 25-mile international swim from the start at the EastSide Restaurant in Newport, Vt., to the finish line on the beach of Magog, Quebec.
Sharessa Guiterrez, 37, of Omaha, Neb., completed with a time of 15 hours and 51 minutes and Rivard, 14, of Springfield and Derby, Vt., came in 16 hours and 24 minutes. In doing so, Rivard became the youngest person ever to cross the 25 miles of Lake Memphremagog between Newport and Magog. And she did so in some of the more challenging conditions this lake has to offer.
Five others laid down inspiring swims and completed various distances fighting these headwinds. Cara Marie Manlandro, 28, of Derwood, Md., completed 23.5 miles before communication difficulties regarding the landing location caused her to end her swim, just short of the finish.
Sandra Frimerman-Bergquist, 34, of Exelsior, Minn., Eric Schall, 57, of Kingston, Pa., Dan Shub, 69 of Baltimore, Md., and Mary Stabinsky, 41, of Plains, Pa., completed various distances ranging from six to 17 miles. Shub was the oldest person to attempt a Memphremagog Crossing and the last of those to pull. He completed 17 miles, a great and truly inspiring bit of swimming.
Swimmers left from the EastSide Restaurant in Newport, Vt., at 5:31 a.m. as the sun began to rise. Water temperature ranged from 72 to74 throughout the day. Skies were sunny. Air temperature was in the 60s and 70s. The high winds began to diminish around noon. After the bend in the lake at Georgeville they became crosswinds of 5 to 10 mph or less.
Jay Peak provided shuttle services back to the start, throughout the evening and into the night. The City of Magog provided the beach and docking accommodations for our boats. The EastSide Restaurant also provided docking accommodations and support throughout the staging of the swim.
In Search of Memphre was started in 2011 to promote a more open border with our Canadian friends and to search for the legendary, swimmer friendly, lake creature Memphre. Swimmers in this year’s Search dedicated their swims to the Asylum Seekers and are encouraging donations to the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project at https://asylumadvocacy.org/
The swim was organized by Kingdom Games, which hosts more than 25 days of running, biking, swimming and ice-skating events in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont and the Eastern Townships of Quebec.
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