Swim 30 miles under the bridges on Manhattan Island

Quebecer Guillaume Filion will be entitled to a privileged point of view on the island of Manhattan, in New York, on October 18.

The 45-year-old police officer will participate in the 20 Bridges Swima challenge which consists of swimming the 48.5 km which surround the island, without an isothermal suit.

In addition to having to face water whose quality does not have a good reputation, Guillaume Filion will swim for around eight hours, without interruption, in water around 18 degrees Celsius.

He does not hide the fact that his greatest fear is the cold.

The distance, I think I can do itsays Guillaume Filion, met before training, on the banks of the Saint-Laurent River.

I think I have trained enough, that I am capable of lasting this number of hours, but the temperature, given that there is no isothermal suit, is what scares me a little. , but what will happen will happen.

This unusual open water challenge will lead Guillaume Filion to swim under the 20 bridges surrounding the island of Manhattan and spanning the Hudson, Harlem and East rivers. Hence the name of 20 Bridges Swim.

The organizers also point out that most participants swim on their backs when they are under the bridges to live the moment to the fullest.

If he completes the 48.5 km loop, Filion will be the second Quebecer, after Justine Brousseau in 2022, to achieve the feat.

Beyond the idea of ​​pushing one’s limits, the swimmer takes advantage of this challenge to collect donations and highlight the work of the Fitactive organization.

I have a 13 year old daughter and a 9 year old daughter. Sport allowed me to be on the right path, to be disciplined and to face many of life’s obstacles. I try to pass this on to my daughters and other girls who drop out of sport. I thought FitSpirit was a great cause.

The swimmer had to prove himself before being able to register for the 20 Bridges Swim. The organization requires some experience in open water before tackling this challenge.

You must complete a certificate form proving that you have completed a minimum of two marathons. In swimming, a marathon is 10 km in cold water, which means below 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius). This is checked by the organization, you have to explain a little about a diet plan, how you eat during a long race and if you have support.

During the 20 Bridges Swimsupport is reduced to a minimum: only one boat follows the swimmer and provides them with supplies. The athlete is not allowed to hang on to the boat or stop for too long.

The most surprising thing about Guillaume Filion’s journey is that he discovered open water swimming quite recently, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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What was a necessity for training has become a passion that leads him to push his limits.

When we reach mileages above 20, there are not many races in the world that allow us to do that. THE 20 Bridges was the first step for me. Among the big crossings, I found that it was achievable.

The challenge before the challenge consists of managing to fit his training between his obligations as a father and his work shifts as investigators with the Police Department of the City of Montreal.

It depends on what my schedule allows, but a big outing will be around 25 or 30 km, specifies the swimmer. I try to do at least two other 5 to 10 km outings during the week.

Boaters who sailed on the St. Lawrence River this summer may have encountered him. He is always accompanied by a kayaker for safety reasons. The swimmer admits that his presence attracts curious people.

Here, it’s a boat landing stage and there’s no one coming to swim. Sometimes, when we arrive, there are lots of boaters and people wonder what we are doing here and where we are going. When we respond to Lavaltrie, they don’t understand that it’s possible to do things like thatsays Guillaume Filion laughing. We try to explain to the world that the river is not that bad, even if its reputation is not good.

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Besides, know that the swimmer never fell ill after swimming in the river. Even if he has no fears about the pollution around the island of Manhattan, he will still receive a vaccine before his departure, for prevention.

This journey around Manhattan is part of the triple crown of open water swimming, with the crossing of the English Channel between England and France (34 km), and the crossing of the channel separating Catalina Island from California (32.5 km).

However, another project is germinating in Guillaume Filion’s head, before tackling the English Channel or the Catalina Canal.

What’s on my mind is doing Trois-Rivières – Quebec, he says. It was done twice. I have done certain sections of the river several times, Trois-Rivières – Batiscan, Neuville – Quebec, Montreal – Lavaltrie, Montreal – Lanoraie and I find that the river is very good.

It would lead people to demystify the river even more, to love it even more. It would also show that it is possible to do things like that and people would recognize each other because they know the river.

But before facing the waves of the St. Lawrence River, Guillaume Filion must measure himself against those surrounding the island of Manhattan.

All the hours invested over the last few months to prepare for this challenge constitute for him, in a way, an outlet for everyday life.

Swimming is a relief from the things we see, the things we face or the things we experience, he explains. Regardless of the police job, whether you are a patrol officer or an investigator, in Montreal we face a lot of drama, a lot of things that can come after us and for which we may not be prepared. It helps me go to work with an empty head, it helps me relieve stress.

When swimming, you are alone with the sound of the water. There’s no better way to minimize stress than swimming.