GENEVA LAKE — Saturday’s heavy winds and waves may not have made for the best day to attempt a full crossing of Geneva Lake from Fontana Beach to Lake Geneva Beach, but that’s exactly what five elite swimmers from Louisville, Chicago and Madison did anyway, completing the route in 4 hours, 15 minutes.
John Fischbach, Ella Morris and Michael Johmann of Louisville, KY joined Qing Li of Chicago and David McGlynn of Madison started just after dawn June 21, 2025 and were supported by local pontoon boat captain John Hawkinson, J. D. Morris on paddleboard and local kayaker Jacob Austin. Candy Fischbach served as support crew on the pontoon.
With heavy winds predicted throughout the day, the swimmers chose a route along the southern shore of the lake for the first two and a half hours, hoping to use the trees and elevation to block part of the breeze sure to kick up white caps in the middle of the lake.
After rounding Black Point, the group continued to skirt the southern shoreline until reaching the Narrows.
From the Narrows, swimmers headed on a diagonal course toward the northern shoreline, hoping to use the slight northern bend in the eastern portion of the lake to protect them from the heavy waves they encountered in the Narrows.
Sometimes even good plans don’t work out, however, and the waves along the northern shoreline were among the heaviest they fought all day.
But with the Riviera Ballroom and Lake Geneva Beach in sight, swimmers pushed on to the finish, exiting the water at approximately 10 a.m.
Swimmers included two English Channel veterans (Qing and Johmann), two Manhattan ultra-marathon swimmers (Morris and Fischbach) and McGlynn, who was a top-ten finisher in the 2023 U.S. Masters ultra-distance marathon in Portland, OR.
According to Johmann, at age 63 is the oldest of the group, “Lake Geneva is the perfect venue for long distance open water swimming. At just under 8 miles, the lake provides a great opportunity for those looking to take on a slightly longer than swim-marathon length race. For those who want to put in even more, two lengths of the lake will test anybody looking to take on the English Channel or Manhattan or the Catalina Island swim at some point in the future. And besides, just look at the scenery along the way!”
Water temperatures topped 70 degrees and combined with the sun rising over the lake proved no problem to the swimmers.
The waves were a different matter.
With white caps and strong winds, local boat companies canceled jet ski and other boat rentals for the day.
Heading mainly west and with the winds at their backs, the waves provided some push for the swimmers but also proved as much an obstacle as a help, especially in the later stages of the crossing.
Waves broke over the swimmers throughout the morning and in many cases tossed them
around in the water as they tried to make their way through the Narrows.
“It’s all part of the game,” said Johmann after the finish. “Last September at Chicago we staged a 12.5 miler in Lake Michigan from Navy Pier to Evanston and were hit by headwinds the whole way. At least these were tailwinds. I’ll take tailwinds any day.”
Saturday’s crossing was tracked and sanctioned by the Marathon Swim
Federation (MSF).
The swim anticipates the renewal of open water marathoning on Lake Geneva, with a new U.S. Masters sanctioned event, “Swim of Legends,” scheduled for July 27, 2025.