On August 22, 2005, Danville’s own Ken Harmon braved the chilly water of Lake Tahoe to swim the length of the lake, the furthest distance ever attempted, approximately 22.1 miles (according to the Coast Guard). This August, he will be attempting to swim Lake Tahoe again, but with a slight twist this time. Once Ken finishes the first leg, he’ll warm himself, get something to eat and then he’ll re-enter the water and swim back. That’s a 44-mile round trip course taking roughly 24 hours to complete. Did I mention that Mr. Harmon won’t be wearing a wet suit? He’ll be starting his quest at roughly 5:00 P.M. and swimming through the night with air temperature nipping below 40 degrees. Keep in mind, Lake Tahoe sits at an altitude of 6,200 feet above sea level? What would seem like an unbelievable challenge for the fittest of ultra swimmers in their 20’s or 30’s, Ken will be attempting this monumental feat as he turns fifty years old, but that is just one more motivating factor for this incredible test of endurance.

Upon graduating, pre-med with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry/Biology, Ken began working in pharmaceutical sales for Upjohn. In 1987, while living in San Luis Obispo, he decided to tackle something new – a long distance open water swim. Ken chose the Lake Berryessa Swim, a 2 mile lake swim, as his first foray into the sport. After that came the Donner Lake Swim, a 2.7 miles Alpine event in colder water. Over the next several years, Ken competed regularly in the 2.7 mile open water swim circuit and in 1991 he was ready to step-up to the U.S. Masters Open Water Swim Division. His first major event was a 10K swim at Lake Natoma (off I-50 at the base of Folsom Lake).

In 1999, Ken signed up to compete in the TransTahoe Relay, a six member team event swimming the width of Lake Tahoe (11.65 miles). However, Ken signed up six times as a team of one. This was the first time anyone had ever tried to compete solo in this event. Despite bad weather, temperatures in the low 50s and his first attempt at such a high altitude event, Ken finished the race in 4 hours and 57 minutes. He came back and did the race again in 2000 and finished with a time of 4 hours and 32 minutes. almost died.

In June of 2005, Ken set out to design a long distance course that would be the longest ever attempted. On August, 22, 2005, at the age of 45, Ken set out to raise money for the San Ramon Valley High School Aquatic Center by swimming approximately 22 miles in the frigid waters of Lake Tahoe without a wet suit. His adventure can be seen at the web site Swimfar

Ken’s training officially began in August of 2009. He gave up alcohol, modified his diet and began swimming regularly at Crow Canyon Country Club. Ken’s assault on Lake Tahoe will once again include a crew of critical support personnel. His wife, Marcia, will be coordinating the pacing, feeding and swim direction form a kayak. Brian Creasy, an engineer and will be on-board in a nearby boat along with swim pacers that will be in the water for four hour stretches.

Swimming the length of Lake Tahoe two times, a 10K, is equivalent to running a marathon. Ken is preparing to swim the equivalent of 7 marathons. Unlike someone preparing to run a marathon, where it is common to work up to a long run of 20 miles or more several weeks before the actual race, Ken anticipates not pushing his training past a maximum of 6 miles at any one time. Ken candidly states, “I have less fear this time, but I do wonder how much past 12 or 13 hours a body can endure especially given my age.” ”You never know what problems might occur until you’re in the water.” The 3-6 foot surface of water in Lake Tahoe averages 60-68 degrees, but underneath that layer the water temperature drops to 40 degrees. In other words, you stop you freeze. Additionally, Ken will have to eat something every half hour by way of a lifeline from the boat to the Kayak to his pacer to him. Food that will include bananas, Gu – energy gel, Gatorade, energy bars, etc.

Ken is attempting to raise $100,000 and a large portion of the fundraising money Ken generates will go to Karen Gaffney’s foundation (www.karengaffneyfoundation.com).

Ken’s passion for swimming and life in general is infectious. He is an inspiration to anyone nearing the big 5-0 (or the big 4-0 for that matter). “It’s important to challenge ourselves physically, mentally and spiritually as a way of staying young and relevant”, Ken declares.