There was a period in the 1950’s when marathon swimming was all the rage. In 1954, Marilyn Bell (17) swam across Lake Ontario. She later swam the English Channel.
Cliff Lumsdon (1931 – 1991) at the age of 18, won the world marathon championship in Toronto, defeating 46 competitors in the annual 15-mile race at the Canadian National Exhibition . He won $6,300—$5,500 for winning the race and $800 for leading all laps and swimming the fastest lap. He retired in 1965 with career earnings of $152,000. (wikipedia)
There is a lakeside park named after him which is just east of Col. Sam Smith Park.
I visited it just after dawn:
Some birds:
NATURE POETRY
Deep in the greens of summer sing the lives
I’ve come to love. A vireo whets its bill.
The great day balances upon the leaves;
My ears still hear the bird when all is still. – Theodore Roethke (1908–63)
Miles Hearn