LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk 34 Near water's edge in Ticonderoga sits Diane's Rock, chronicling the historic event that brought thousands to Lake George in 1958, and playing in the imaginations of swimmers for years to come. Named in honor of Diane Struble, it commemorates the first successful nonstop solo swim of the 32.2-mile length of the lake, a colossal achievement at any time, but much more so considering the year, the world at large, and the personal circumstances of its honoree, an unstoppable 25-year-old single mother of three young girls. Since then, only twelve others have completed this feat, but Struble's story of physical and mental fortitude, combined with a love of adventure and willingness to challenge conventional norms, continues to inspire greatness. Doing the unimaginable comes naturally to Jaimie Monahan. With twenty-nine circumnavigations around Manhattan (28.5 miles, including seven days in a row), the first nonstop quadruple around the island (45 hours), nonstop endurance swims of up to 114 miles, and cold-water swims at zero degrees Celsius, to name a few, she has redefined ultramarathon swimming combined with adventure and travel, choosing what is meaningful to her. "ere were no external pressures growing up. My primary drivers were swimming and a hunger to see the world," she offers. Carefully researching where she would like to go and what she would like to attempt next, Monahan is the first to complete the Ice Sevens Challenge, and holds a Guinness World Record for completing six marathon swims on six continents in sixteen days. And this FOR THE LOVE OF SWIMMING W O M E N S W I M M I N G I N T H E A D K S Swimmer Jamie Monahan Author: Linda Waxman Finkle

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