| | Published June 23rd, 2010
| Swimmer Celebrates Water with Lake Tahoe Swim
| | By Lou Fancher |  | | Jamie Patrick thrives off swimming and is swimming the length of Lake Tahoe twice this August.
Photo provided
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Basketball has its triple doubles. Baseball has doubles and triples. And soon, when Jamie Patrick traverses Lake Tahoe this August and next, swimming will have its first double triple.
Patrick, a Lafayette resident who swam for Miramonte High School in the late 1980's, went on to set All-American records at the University of Hawaii, will swim across Lake Tahoe twice on August 14th. A year later, in August 2011, he'll be the first athlete to swim 66 lake miles, crossing the span three times in a grueling, 35-hour long display of human endurance.
"I'm worried about water temperature and keeping my mind at ease," Patrick says about this year's swim. "The snow-pack is so extreme that the water temperature is 10ยบ lower than usual." A wet suit will take care of the first concern, and Xcel, a Walnut Creek Sport Psychology group, helps with the second, keeping his mind tough, focused, and positive.
"We work on games, because it's a lot of time to have your face in the water," Patrick explains. "Xcel teaches me multiplication, alphabet, and silly games to keep my mind on something other than pain and monotony."
While psychological strength is vital, all the imagery in the world wouldn't keep Patrick afloat if he didn't adhere to an intense training routine. He estimates his total weekly distance at 50-75,000 meters. The mileage includes long weekend swims of 15-17,000 meters-that's 3.5 hours in the water-and overnight conditioning expeditions like his recent Delta swim from 9:00 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.
During the actual Tahoe swims, Patrick will also need fuel. He'll have a crew of seven: 1-2 kayakers who deliver the food on a pole, and the rest in a pontoon boat prepping the food and tracking his progress. He takes 35-50 seconds to eat every 20 minutes; trying to ingest 400 calories per hour, while burning 900.
The deficit Patrick's body will be running could mean he falls asleep. Except that he has a mantra, as all double-triple athletes should. "Keep swimming," is the matter-of-fact answer he gives, when asked how he'll stay awake.
With all the mental, nutritional, motivational, and actual push-ups in his regime, Patrick still needs a final bump-a purpose-to get him in the water. Like the mantra, his purpose is simple: "I want to give back to my roots, to water, which gave me scholarship, courage, strength, and so many things," he says. "I truly believe water is our greatest resource." To that end, Patrick has teamed up with film-maker Martin Sundberg. "Rather than a typical whistle-blower documentary, we decided to use recreation to stimulate environmental stewardship," he says.
To that end, Patrick's August 14th double swim is a public event: a free day hosted by Jake's on the Lake, a Tahoe institution. There will be water activities, live video, and boats doing run-outs so people can cheer him on while he swims. For more information, and film clips of the man in action, go to
www.thetahoetriple.com.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA