Thousands drive across Tampa Bay every day, but probably very few have actually traversed the large body of water sans vehicle or bridge. On Sunday, two officials from the nonprofit Crisis Center of Tampa Bay will swim from Clearwater to Tampa to raise awareness and funds for their cause.
They're doing so in conjunction with Trifloyd's 8-mile swim, an organized event open to the public — those who can handle it, of course.
The distance, as you may have guessed, is eight miles.
For an inexperienced swimmer, that is a long way; not to be tried at home. But for Crisis Center CEO Clara Reynolds and board member Jamie Klingman, both experienced endurance athletes, it'll be nothin'…Well, maybe not nothin', but given that Reynolds once swam around Key West (12.5 miles), among other places, and Klingman has done 15 half marathons, 2 full marathons and a 70.3 half ironman, we're guessing they'll be all right.
The two have been training for months.
"This is not something to be taken on lightly," Reynolds said. "You can't just stop and walk."
She said she her training consists of swimming around Harbor Island with some friends as cruise ships and tankers haul in and out of the port.
"Talk about sensory deprivation," Reynolds said of the long-distance swimming experience. "Because you really can't see anything and I wear earplugs…I find I do a lot of thinking and planning for work."
As for fuel for Sunday's feat, Reynolds said, she'll probably start out with a peanut butter sandwich, a good dose of Advil, Gatorade, water and a Coke Zero.
"I'm usually good for a solid hour," she said, but will periodically have to swim to the kayak that will accompany her to retrieve some quick fuel.
Reynolds and Klingman came up with the idea to use the swim as an opportunity to help the nonprofit when they were talking about their mutual participation in the event. They're calling their fundraiser "Strokes for Hope."
"No way was I in long-distance shape when I got the challenge in July," Reynolds said. "So I'm really excited to be able to do this."
On Sunday morning at 7 a.m., the two will launch from “People's Beach” in Clearwater on the west end of the Courtney Campbell Causeway and swim to Ben T. Davis Beach in Tampa.
Sadly for the swimmers, a front appears to be moving in over the weekend that could make for some choppier waters.
"Which are not ideal conditions, especially for the kayaker that's going to be out there with me," Reynolds said.
Crisis Center of Tampa Bay is a nonprofit that helps people in myriad ways, including suicide prevention, aiding sexual assault victims, advocating against bullying, medical transport and more.
Learn more about the center — and Strokes for Hope — here.
This article appears in Nov 5-11, 2015.