If you were to go back in time about 10 years to tell Jaime Williams that she would eventually be among the Crazy Canucks — a six-person relay swim team that recently crossed the English Channel — chances are she would not have believed you for a second.
“This was a big deal for me because I haven't always been a swimmer,” the Innisfail resident and Town of Sundre employee candidly said during a phone interview last week.
“I think I'm still on a bit of a high — it was such an unbelievable experience. I'm not sure it's fully sunk in yet that we actually did it.”
Along with five others, Williams took turns swimming across the English Channel on Tuesday, July 26. The team — made up of two men and four women between the ages of 40 to 63 who came from various places in Western Canada — took 13 hours and 47 minutes to cross the channel to Cap Blanc Nez in the Calais region in northern France after leaving from Samphire Hoe in Dover, England.
“Before we started, we had to establish the order in which we would swim and then were required to maintain that same order throughout the duration of the swim. We each had to swim one-hour intervals,” she said.
“We started our swim at 4 a.m., so the first couple of swimmers swam in the dark with lights attached to their goggles and swimsuits and were guided by the lights of the boat.”
The team was escorted during the relay by a 10-metre long fishing trawler called the Viking Princess, which stretched out over about 48 kilometres. The shortest distance across the channel is about 33 kilometres, but the swimmers had to zigzag on account of tides and currents, she said.
“Our swim was registered through the Channel Swimming Association and we had an official observer from the association on the boat with us to ensure that we were following the rules.”
The achievement took less than a day but was a long time in the making.
At a marathon running clinic when she was in her late 20s, she met Elaine Davidson, a life-long avid swimmer who would go on to become a close friend of Williams'. Together, they participated in a number of marathons and Davidson eventually suggested trying out a triathlon. Williams said she enjoyed biking and running but was rather reserved about the idea of swimming.
“I originally couldn't get from one end of pool to the other,” she recalled with a chuckle.
But she didn't give up and before too long, the active friends decided to try their luck at a triathlon that involved a lake swim.
“Once we started doing open water swimming, I started enjoying the swimming quite a bit more. That sort of progressed — I really love swimming now,” said the married mother of one, admitting that swimming did not come naturally but was more of an acquired taste for her.
While there is a fairly steep learning curve, swimming becomes far more enjoyable as you get better at it. The sport is easier on the body and joints than for example running, and also allows the peace of mind to wander your thoughts away and daydream — or on the contrary perhaps even to focus on a problem to seek clarity on an issue that has been causing stress. Another bonus is being able to enjoy swimming indoors during the winter when it's below 30 degrees outside, she said.
But although she discovered a dormant passion for swimming in her late 20s, Williams was not immediately convinced to join the Crazy Canucks when Davidson approached her with the idea a few years back.
“She had realized about three years ago that you can put in a relay team to do it (swim across the English Channel) instead of doing it alone. It's quite a daunting challenge to do it on your own. So Elaine thought she could round a few people up,” said Williams.
“I actually declined her invitation to begin with.”
Not because Williams did not feel capable of swimming an hour at a time in the relay, but rather because the trip posed logistical challenges for her family. Yet Davidson, who “got the ball rolling”, did not give up and managed to convince Williams to get involved following another discussion.
“I figured it was a lifetime opportunity to do something like that so I decided to join the team.”
As enthusiastic and supportive as her husband Ian was, Williams said he was also a bit nervous and concerned about her well-being.
“He was up all night tracking our progress on a website,” she said, explaining that he was visiting with family in Newfoundland while the Crazy Canucks were in England for almost two weeks.
“He was excited but fairly relieved when we were finished.”
While there were no time or physical qualifications to pass before embarking on the attempt, there was plenty of paperwork to fill out. There was also a required two-hour cold water training course. That meant taking a dip in 15 degree water without a wetsuit, she said.
To build up her tolerance for cold water, Williams said she began dipping her toes into Sylvan Lake this spring.
“The people there must have thought I was crazy! The water is still quite cold in May.”
But minute by minute, she built up her ability to cope with the cold for longer and longer durations.
“Once your body starts getting used to that, it's not too bad and you can stay in longer and longer. Pretty soon you can walk and dive right in — it became sort of strangely refreshing.”
Getting used to jumping in all at once was important because Williams said she knew that during the relay she would have to dive into the ocean from the boat without a chance to ease into the cold water, which ranged between 14 and 16 degrees.
“I wanted to make sure that the cold wasn't going to be an issue.”
Becoming accustomed to cold water was only a part of her preparation for the relay swim.
“I did oodles of lane swimming at the (Innisfail) pool,” she said.
While she had done some marathons and open water lake swims before, Williams said she had never before swum in the ocean.
Born in Olds, Williams said she was raised in Sundre, where she went to school. She still has family in the community and has worked about 12 years for the Town of Sundre, where she is the finance and grants coordinator.
Along with her husband and their daughter Ella, 8, the family enjoys spending time outdoors camping. As Ella gets older, she is becoming more engaged in clubs and activities as well, said Williams.
“We're quite involved with her activities, which is fun for us too.”
Ella was equally supportive as Ian of her adventure.
“I couldn't have done this without them,” she said.
“It was a huge commitment, both time-wise for the training as well as financially, but we managed to make work. I know they're extremely proud of me but relieved at the same time that our adventure came to a successful end and I am home safe and sound.”
