Guelph man looking to conquer Lake Erie in support of Crohn's and colitis

Alex MacKinnon isn’t sure he can swim across Lake Erie, but he’s about to find out.

The Guelph man is planning to make the journey on Aug. 27 (weather permitting). He’s doing it for a personal challenge but also to raise awareness and Crystal Beach, Ont.

Both he and his two siblings suffer from Crohn’s disease.

He has a support boat, a coach and an official to monitor that the swim is done in accordance to the rules.

“I’ve never done anything of this distance before, said MacKinnon is a former water polo player who now swims in the Guelph Marlins masters program.

“I hope I’m ready for it.”

The swim should take just under seven hours if everything goes well. He will be in the water around 6:30 a.m.

“I think that’s achievable, but I’ll have to push myself to do that. With this being my first big swim it’s hard for me to gauge how long it will take.

He’s been seriously training for the attempt since the end of May. We’ve been doing some open water swims, but mostly in the pool.

“There’s current, temperatures, waves, winds, all kinds of different elements that you have to fight against,” he said.

MacKinnon’s fundraising page can be found here.

So far he’s raised over $5,200 of his $7,000 goal.Crohn's and colitis are diseases that inflame the lining of the gastrointestinal tract and disrupt the body's ability to digest food, absorb nutrition and eliminate waste in a healthy manner.

Symptoms include abdominal pain, cramping, gas, bloating, fatigue, diarrhea, loss of appetite, fever, anemia, and nausea and vomiting.  

There is currently no available cure for Crohn’s disease.