The stretch of Lake Austin between the Pennybacker Bridge and Walsh Landing boat ramp looks a lot different when seen from the water.

I know; I swam it this morning with 23 other swimmers as a fund-raiser for Colin’s Hope, a non-profit organization that raises awareness about drowning and provides free swim lessons to needy children.

We plunged into the lake at 9 a.m., led by Alissa Magrum, who organized the swim. She had hip surgery in the spring and wanted a goal to motivate her to stay in shape during her recuperation.

Got2Swim 4 Miles for Colin’s Hope turned into much more than that.

Magrum sold airbrushed sponsorships to donors who contributed $500 or more to her cause. She looked awesome, with ads all over her arms and belly! (Shown at right.)

A kayaker paddled alongside each swimmer, helping steer the floating parade as it made its way downstream. (Thanks Vance!) My husband Chris captained our motorboat, too.

I stroked along, peering into the greenish-blue aquarium in front of me. Beautiful!

I stopped three times along the way to drink Gatorade and squeeze some energy gel into my mouth.

After an hour, my back got a little stiff. Other than that, pure happiness.

It surprised me how quickly the Pennybacker Bridge, that big metal arch over the lake at Loop 360, faded into the background. After an hour I was below Mount Bonnell. Half an hour later I had passed the Laguna Gloria cove. At the 2 hour mark I was almost at the finish, 4.1 miles from the bridge.

Great swim, great fun, great cause.

Today would have been Colin Holst’s seventh birthday. He drowned two years ago, and his parents turned that tragedy into a positive thing — the Colin’s Hope non-profit. For more information about the group, or to make a donation, go to www.colinshope.org.