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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, January 23, 2015 | 28 Jon Kuiperij Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Sports "Connected to your Community" Madhu Nagaraja has braved the cold waters of Lake Ontario recently to train for his upcoming attempt to swim across Chile's Strait of Magellan. The 44-year-old Oakville resident has lasted 34 minutes in 1-degree Celsius water during his training, and says he feels prepared for the chilly conditions he'll likely face in Chile. | photos by Graham Paine -- Oakville Beaver -- @Halton_Photog Oakville marathon swimmer prepared to get chilly in Chile by Jon Kuiperij Beaver Sports Editor M adhu Nagaraja describes his upcoming attempt to swim across Chile's Strait of Magellan to be by far the greatest challenge he's ever faced. When you've already successfully crossed Lake Ontario and the English Channel, and you've run more than 251 kilometres in five days in the Sahara Desert, that's saying something. The distance of the Strait of Magellan crossing -- the strait is less than four kilometres wide where he hopes to swim -- is approximately one-tenth of the distance the Oakville resident covered in crossing Lake Ontario and the English Channel. What will make crossing the Strait of Magellan (the waterway that runs from the Pacific to Atlantic oceans, under the mainland of South America) so difficult is the frigid water (potentially less than 5C). Only 21 people have ever believed to have swum across the waterway. But in the mind of Nagaraja, who hopes to attempt the crossing between Jan. 26-Feb. 1 (dependent on weather conditions in Chile), he's already done the hard part. "Everything I've done in the past, I've made sure the training is harder than the swim itself," says the 44-yearold information technology specialist, a member of the Oakville-based Lake Ontario Swim Team. Nagaraja has prepared for the conditions of Magellan by swimming in Lake Ontario, along the shore of Corona- the Chilean navy will be monitoring the winds and waves tion Park, twice a week since May. Until the last couple of on the strait to determine when it is safe to attempt the weeks, that is, when sharp icicles in Lake Ontario made it crossing. unsafe to swim. He says the coldest the lake has been dur"It's mind over matter, and you need a lot of support. ing one of his training sessions was 1C, when You cannot fuel up a lot of support in your Nagaraja was in the water for 34 minutes and head by yourself. You need that commitment swam 1.2 kilometres. from your crew and your team," says Naga"Mentally, I'm preparing for a 10K swim," raja. Nagaraja says. "5-plus (Celsius) water I've "That nice feeling of supporting each othbeen in for a very long time. The tolerance er, that element is one of my motivations. I I've built right now, if I can stay in 1 degree try to do the same at work. This is how all Celsius for 34 minutes, 7 degrees Celsius projects should be done." would be 700 per cent more than what I've Nagaraja and his team will leave for Chile trained in." on Saturday. Prior to their departure, a fareNagaraja is also quick to point out he does well party will take place Saturday from 9-11 not do this alone. The name of his website a.m. at Bean There Café (106 Reynolds St., (Itsnotaboutswimming.com) underscores Oakville). his motivation for undertaking these chalAnyone wishing to donate money to help lenges: bonding with a group of people to cover training, transportation and supMadhu Nagaraja form a team and achieve something special Marathon swimmer port costs in Chile can do so by visiting bit. together. ly/1JmagXk. Loren King and Mark Bintley have accomTen per cent of funds raised will be dopanied Nagaraja in the cold Lake Ontario water during nated to the Courage Brothers Polar Bear Swim for World training sessions, others have gone out in kayaks to pro- Vision, the annual New Year's Day fundraiser organized by vide help during the swims. Oakville brothers Todd and Trent Courage. Many more have assisted with co-ordinating communiThe status of Nagaraja's attempt to cross the Strait of Macations, finances and fundraising. gellan will be regularly updated on his website. Claudia Molkembhur Sapunar, a professor and regional councillor in Chile, is volunteering assistance as well, and -- Jon Kuiperij can be followed on Twitter @Beaversports It's mind over matter, and you need a lot of support.