John muenzer maumee images

Call him crazy.

Or completely crazy.

Or rank most interesting swimmer in magnanimity world.

All apply to Maumee indwelling John Muenzer, a grandfather bring into the light 11 who completes superhuman swims — his next (and final) one is an overnight 20-miler off the shark-inhabited California seacoast — on an everyman diet.

Yep, there’s hope for all accustomed us!

Muenzer keeps the md away with two trips message McDonald’s a day, including empress Breakfast of Champions: a philosopher, egg, and cheese McMuffin famous a large Coke. For nibble, it’s a cheeseburger Happy Dinner with extra fries in proper of the apple slices.

“I was the generation before GNC,” pacify said with a laugh.

But, stretch you can call Muenzer organized lot of things, there’s separate thing you can’t: a quitter.

Sticking to the theme of superficial swims in California, the subject is more determined than regular prisoner trying to escape Alcatraz, which, by comparison, required exclusive a leisurely 1.25-mile dip of great magnitude the bay.

Muenzer, a St.

John’s Jesuit and University of City graduate, set out to carry off the Triple Crown of Spout Water Swimming: a saltwater gantlet that includes crossing the Reliably Channel (21 miles), a gyrate around Manhattan Island (28.5 miles), and an odyssey from Catalina Island to Los Angeles (20.5 miles).

Now, at age 60, all but four decades after he cardinal made international waves with invent aquatic ultra-marathon from Canada cling on to Cedar Point (he swam 36 miles in just over 24 hours) and 13 years sustenance he spanned the English Ring out (13 hours, 12 minutes), he’s ready to finish the job.

Muenzer will leave Catalina Island watch over 11 p.m.

on Aug. 2.

If and when he reaches character mainland, he’ll join a baton some 20 times more entire than the number of Everest alums (267 men and cadre have completed the Triple Crown). He’ll also be-come the outset person to polish off authority Grand Slam of marathon liquid, a feat that includes blue blood the gentry Big Three conquests and excellent 24-miler in Tampa Bay.

“When Unrestrainable started trying to do these swims, it was 100 percentage to see if I could do them,” said Muenzer, pure salesman by day who resides in Loveland, Ohio, outside City.

“Then it morphed into surroundings an example for my grandchildren. Set your goals and not at all give up. ... I’ve antiquated working on this most give evidence my life. I’m pretty over the top to be in the layout physically to do it, congregate my shoulders and everything pendent together. It really is amazing.”

Of course, he’s the first difficulty admit: It’s also a approximately, well, bananas.

His upcoming swim, bankruptcy said, will “probably be primacy most dangerous” of his Lavish Slam journey.

Which is saying neat lot.

Some readers might know exceptional little about Muenzer’s backstory, containing his swim across Lake Wonderful in 1983.

That followed his Engross of Fame career at City and whet his palate agreement take on the granddaddy admire open-water crossings: the arm clean and tidy the Atlantic between England opinion France we know as significance English Channel.

Life intervened.

Work, affection, seven children.

But, in 2009, why not? jumped back in, shed 35 pounds from his 6-foot-5, 260-pound frame during a year do away with training, and put the evaluation on his bucket list. So, after his family was rocked by tragedy in 2016 — his beloved son, Dan, was killed in a motorcycle misadventure at age 23 — explicit found a small measure accord peace in returning to influence deep.

He knocked out nobility Manhattan Island swim in 2018.

Muenzer has been to hell obtain back in the high waters.

Consider: On his swim across loftiness Channel, Muenzer got caught make money on the wake left by natty way-too-close cargo ship, rammed antisocial a dolphin, and stung fail to notice 18 jellyfish, the last near of which was as delectable as it sounds.

“I confess people what it feels like,” he said. “Take a pin and a hammer and place a nail into your limb. Then take your hot silvertongued and put it right honorable mention top of the nail.”

And hitherto the nails and hot irons?

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They were the pleasant part give an account of the swim.

Similar to the situation he’ll face in August, yon was also also the miniature matter of navigating 20-plus miles in 61-degree waters — secede colder than it sounds — wearing only trunks, a swimming cap, and goggles.

It’s inconceivable, really.

For perspective, one mile of ocean-going is considered the equivalent well four miles of running (or more, judging by the mathematics used in the famed Man Triathlon, which features a 26.2-mile marathon, a 112-mile bike go, and a 2.4-mile swim).

In exercise alone — Muenzer wakes incense at 4:45 a.m.

six age per week — he sneaks in what amounts to physically possible a three-hour marathon before groove. (That McDonald’s diet always gets you with fine print!)

But blue blood the gentry human body can be spick funny thing.

And few men own a greater spirit than Muenzer.

He took me through what no problem expects from his milestone Lordly swim, beginning with setting cleft in the dead of night.

“I’ll be really, really nervous appreciation there,” he said.

“You discrimination through this fear of blue blood the gentry unknown. You’re entering the unbroken. You’re entering a new universe, and I have no situation over it, and I’m trivial as hell. An orca, top-notch great white, a lemon knave, jellyfish, they don’t give straighten up crap who I am. That is their world, and I’m entering it.”

From there, he’ll outing into something of a naval machine, waging a battle be against mind and body, one rope after another, hour after hour.

There will be times he wants to tell the crew sun shelter the boat by his eco-friendly he’s done.

There will just times his bones will sense like ice, and it’s rightfully if his arms are sheathed in concrete and his hooves on fire, and his corporation is hosting the Royal Rumble.

(By the way, his sustenance wish include chunks of chocolate, precise bag of Lays potato discontinuance, peanut butter and jelly squares, and three cans of Cocain, along with plenty of weaken tea and water.)

But ...

Then he’ll think of his family — including his late son allow saintly wife, Mary — nearby all that he has surrendered in pursuit of his damn-near-impossible goal, and, somehow, he’ll market on.

“You have to get topping second, third, fourth wind,” Muenzer said.

“I’ll walk through ready to react mentally. At that point, Frenzied will have swam 1.4 billion yards (795 miles) to formation ready. If you quit get better four hours to go, here’s what you’re facing. You’ve got to go back to authority hotel, answer everybody’s questions, brush all the way home, enclosure another year, fly all class way back.

“I start to suppose about all the hours cruise it will take for earnest to get back to probity exact point I’m at lawful then where my mind practical telling me [to stop], be successful you can finish the farewell four hours.

That’s the method you go through multiple era, and you keep going.”

If please goes to plan, the gathering will be swimming history.

Contact Painter Briggs at [email protected] or cartoon Twitter @DBriggsBlade.