Posted: Wed, 27 May 2009 10:32 AM - 10,861 Readers

By: Pamela LeBlanc

While you were lounging around drinking beer and eating queso last weekend (OK, so maybe it was just me), a team of six swimmers led by Austin swim coach and sports psychologist Keith Bell were churning up the miles of Lake Travis.

Bell, along with Robert Alford, Lynne Smith, Chuck Wiley, Dave Barra and Chris Derks, swam a six-person relay from a point near the north end of Lake Travis to the south. They swam to raise money for Swimability, which funds scholarships that pay for City of Austin swimming lessons for underprivileged children, and to promote open water swimming and clean water. To donate go to www.greattravistrek.com.

Because of the drought, the team couldn’t get their boat safely all the way to the top of the lake. They swam what was swimmable — 54 miles from a point below Starke Dam to Mansfield Dam — in 18 hours and 35 minutes. They swam through the night, in one-hour rotations.

Bell coaches Team Texas, the swim team I train with. This morning, he shared tales of the over-night adventure. At one point, the swimmers had to get out of the water and wait 3 hours while thunderstorms passed. They were able to nap on a large support boat that accompanied them, and were guided along the way by kayakers and spot lights.

Together, team members hold numerous world and masters national swimming records. Smith and Derks also swam across the English Channel.

Bell hinted that the event could become an annual race.