15-Year-Old Maya Farrell to make world record swim across Lake Ontario

“I’m going that way!” exclaims an excited Maya Farrell in the above photo. “Here I am in Rochester, NY, the starting point for my 88km swim across Lake Ontario to Brighton, ON. Notice you can’t see the other side!”

This summer, 15-year-old Maya Farrell will be attempting to swim 88km from Rochester, New York to Brighton, Ontario. This route is the widest point of the Lake Ontario, and it has never been attempted before. Her swim will be taking place any day from July 7th- July 14th, 2018 depending on weather conditions. A backup period is on hold from August 21st-31st.

In 2016, Maya attempted to become the youngest person to swim across Lake Ontario from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Toronto, a distance of 52km. After swimming for over 24 hours and reaching less than 300 metres from shore, her crew was forced to pull her out of the water due to lightning. Given she had trained for four years, she was heartbroken. Three days later, she decided that she wasn’t going to let the lake beat her, and was determined to try again.

Her grandfather, who cycled across Canada several times, inspires her. He used to tell Maya stories about his adventures, struggles, and mishaps he encountered along the way. Sadly, he passed away in March this year. Only three weeks earlier, Maya also lost her mother to a rare illness. Despite this very difficult time in her life, Maya is determined to keep going, and says “I know that my mom and grandad are right there with me.”

Her goal is to raise $10,000 for Music Heals. Here is Maya’s fundraising page.

Follow Maya’s progress on Twitter and Instagram and Facebook.

Click here to see her interview on CTV News Ottawa.

Click here to read her story in the Ottawa Citizen.