Lorelei Schmidt’s Swim Story

Hello listeners! I’m embarrassed that I’ve been holding onto this story for so long! I thought I lost it and then I found it. And then I got caught up in all the things – you know how it goes….

Sometimes I get stuck. Do you get stuck?

Fortunately I have a community to lean into. A community of swimmers and deep thinkers who are looking to do more than just get to the other side. Of course, we don’t want to take forever to get there either, so we talk about swimming technique and the benefits of finding your body in the water.

This month the theme is Time management, which, if I’m honest, is not my strong suit! But that’s the whoel  point of being in community, we learn from each other and I’m I endeavor to get better at it every day.

If you haven’t already, join me at The Water’s Edge!

Without further ado, I’m excited to share today’s story with you. I virtually met Lorelei Schmidt in 2020, well, actually, I virtually met Lorelei’s mom, Tammy, who reached out to me to see if she could be part of a build to marathon virtual swim series that I was hosting.

It’s been phenomenal to witness her journey from afar. I found it intriguing to hear what it was like for a teenager during the pandemic. And listen to how driven Lorelei is. And there’s more to come!

Part 2 will be an update on all of her swims since she took home the coveted belt buckle at SCAR in 2024.

I hope you enjoy Lorelei’s Story!

In her own words:

I learned to swim when I was 18 months old and swam for fun until I joined a summer swim team at six. A year later, I joined my first year-round team. I used to focus on sprints and wasn’t even aware of open-water swimming then. I mainly swam 50s and 100s. The first time I swam a 1650, I didn’t enjoy it at all. However, during the Covid lockdown, when pools were closed, I started swimming short open water distances, about 1 km at a time.

Gradually, I started swimming longer distances and spending more time in the water. As I swam more, I began to enjoy the experience of being in the water, alone with my thoughts, and swimming without worrying about time or competition.

Initially, I set my limit at 10 km, but I became interested as I learned about longer swims. My first marathon swim was across Lake Tahoe, and I instantly fell in love with the idea of long-distance swimming. Soon, I found myself swimming SCAR, training for the Catalina Channel, and signing up for swims like the 20 Bridges, Malakai, and the English Channel.

The swimming community is incredible, and I am proud to be a part of it. Looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing, as it has all led me to where I am today.