'One-legged' man swims more than 120 km across Okanagan Lake for 50th birthday
Daybreak South | CBC News | Posted: August 21, 2015 7:06 PM | Last Updated: August 21, 2015
Shayn Moritz, of Peachland, B.C. swam 123.8 km over 6.5 days to celebrate turning 50
Forget the birthday cake — a Peachland, B.C. man with only one fully working leg has celebrated turning 50 by swimming the entire length of Okanagan Lake, over the course of six and a half days.
Financial advisor Shayn Moritz, who lost 90 per cent of the use of his right leg after he was hit by a motor vehicle in 1985, said swimming the lake was on his bucket list.
"I started re-evaluating my mortality, and I thought, 'Hmm, I'm probably never going to climb a mountain with a paralyzed right leg, so I might as well find a flat mountain,'" Moritz tells Daybreak South host Chris Walker.
'Lots of arms'
Moritz hasn't let his disability stop him keeping fit. He often participates in charity bicycle races, and has competed in about 40 triathlons over the years.
He describes his swimming style in crossing Okanagan Lake as, "Lots of arms."
Over his nearly week-long journey, Moritz spent an average of about seven hours each day in the water and averaged about 18 kilometres in distance each day.
His family came along for the trip on a houseboat that served as "home base" when Shayn wasn't in the water.
Along the way, both family and friends monitored him and even kayaked out in front of him to make sure boaters wouldn't hit him.
According to his GPS watch, his total distance travelled was 123.8 kilometres, which is a little bit short of the 135 kilometres usually given for the lake's length.
Moritz says he swam "point-to-point," from the headwaters north of Vernon to a finish line at Penticton, which he believes cut some distance.
'Almost meditative'
While the water conditions varied day-to-day, especially after a thunderstorm cut one day short, Moritz described the swim as quite peaceful.
"It's almost meditative," he says. "You start to get into a quiet rhythm and you don't think about much. It's amazing."
"One thing I do hope is that my kids realize that if an older, overweight, one-legged guy can set a big goal and make it, then the goals they set are achievable too," he says.
As for what's next, Moritz says his sister is four years younger than him, and he's hoping she'll take up the challenge when she turns 50 and they can swim the lake together.
To hear the full interview, click the audio labelled: Man with one good leg swims Okanagan Lake for 50th b-day