Smith Lake Event - Swim the Smith

Local Swimmers Take on a 35-mile Marathon Swim Benefitting the American Cancer Society

Photo by: Scott Eric Day "Swim the Smith"

Along with Coach Danny Arnold - U.S. Masters Swim Coach - whose excellent guidance and encouragement ultimately brought them to the finish line, members of the team who accomplished this incredible feat were:  ​

If you have been following the Facebook group "Swim the Smith" @swimthesmith - then you have been witnessing a group of brave and worthy athletes/swimmers from the Jasper Masters Swim Team (find them on Facebook as @jaspersmasters) of Memorial Park Natatorium in Jasper, AL (Facebook:  @memorialparknatatorium), that have been training for quite some time to complete a marathon swim, a 6-person non-stop relay event, that covered 35 miles of Smith Lake beginning just north of the Lakeshore Inn & Marina in Double Springs, AL and then finishing at the Smith Lake Dam.  They were supposed to finish today, but were way ahead of schedule and finished the swim hours sooner than they had anticipated.  

• Amanda Darty - was the 1st swimmer in the relay.  Amanda is a local Dentist in Jasper who was looking for a challenge to do a marathon swim, and this was a great fit.  Near 40, Amanda has been a long time swimmer from youth to high school and beyond -  she has stayed athletic, recently completing a half marathon that benefitted St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.  A swim challenge was definitely on her slate.  
• Ginger Odom - a former competitive swimmer, who at the age of 61 has been swimming again since 2013.  
• Christie Blankenship - her husband and son apparently assisted the swimmers to stay on track by kayaking beside them.  Christie had trained in 2017, with help from Coach Arnold, for a sprint triathlon, so she was ready to take on this challenge.
• Shannon Day - wife of Smith Lake area photographer Scott Eric Day, and 43 year old mother of 5 - figured this was a great opportunity to inspire her children to take on any challenge and prevail!
• Angela Jo Harris - an accomplished triathlete, who has been swimming in a competitive manner since 2010, and completed several Ironman events.  She stepped up to become a welcome last minute backup swimmer to stand in for an injured team mate, Randy Wilhite.
• Brad Adkins - a teacher and a coach at Lupton.  He started swimming in 2013 to prepare for a spring triathlon that led to a half Ironman the next year.  

"Swim the Smith" was the idea of Coach Arnold, who is a very accomplished open water skier himself.  He happened to read an article about a coach who took 5 non-swimmers, trained them in a year, and the team ultimately went on to complete a 70 kilometer swim in Lake Geneva, Switzerland.   The swim was not only an athletic challenge to celebrate here on our very own Smith Lake, but it was more importantly also a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.  You can make donations through the Relay for Life of Jasper/Walker County for the Jasper Masters Swim Team   Please do not hesitate to reach out to the group if you would like to help them even after this event has ended earlier than they expected - support is still welcome and appreciated - or you can call Coach Danny Arnold any time at 205-530-4693.  They would love to have your support, and we hope that they'll continue to do this event in the future.  GREAT JOB TEAM "SWIM THE SMITH!!!"

Said local photographer Scott Eric Day, "I am super proud of them!  I am also proud of the Smith Lake community - there were people all across the lake cheering them on from their docks and backyards throughout the swim!  Love our lake community!"  

Head on over to their Facebook page, and check out how it all went down - @swimthesmith

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Click the attached video link - it features Coach Danny Arnold - U.S. Masters Swim Coach of Jasper AL - recorded right in front of a favorite #spotsonsmith - Duncan Bridge in Walker County.  Coach Arnold explains how the marathon swim came to be, and offers more great details about the event.  
https://www.facebook.com/swimthesmith/videos/2178122369087856/

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