Long time readers of this blog will note that this is my first off-topic post.

For the last nine hundred and eleven days, Michael Sullivan, my brother, has swum in Lake Washington every day without fail. The Swim Streak, also referred to as The Streak!, began on June 24th 2006. The Streak began in the summer but evolved into a daily, year round day ritual. Michael had said a long time ago that he would stop swimming when the water got too cold. Somehow it never did, despite reaching temperatures in the low forties and many cold, snowy days and nights. Throughout the winter, Michael swam in gloves, booties, a cap, and neoprene shorts. The streak received news coverage from the Seattle PI and Evening Magazine. Ironically, Michael’s front page picture on the Seattle PI showed him standing in the snow at the waterfront.

Yesterday, December 21st, the streak came to an end, a casualty of four consecutive days of snow – the Snowpocalypse – that has visited western Washington depositing over a foot of snow in Seattle and the surrounding areas. Determining that it would be foolish to attempt to drive over the many hills and dales to get to the lake, Michael brought the streak to an end.

Doing anything every day for a year requires an enormous amount of energy and commitment. Doing it for over two and a half years is almost unimaginable. Swimming in Lake Washington every day for nine hundred and eleven days was an amazing accomplishment. Michael, I am proud of you and your commitment to doing something you loved. We all enjoyed following the streak’s many statistics – the night swims, the rain swims, the snow swims. Today, we salute you. Long live The Streak!

To read more about my brother’s Swim Streak, go to www.swimstreak.com. Don’t forget to leave a comment and congratulations.