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photo: SUSAN MCCONNELL
From left: Billy, Gordy and Doug McConnell in Boston following the 2010 Boston Light Open Water Race. (Not pictured is Mack McConnell, who lives in San Francisco
and works for Intuit Inc.)
Are they ready? “They’re on their way to being
ready,” says Marcia Cleveland, their advisor of
record and one of the world’s exalted doyens of the
deep. She set up the complex latticework of swimming
intervals, lengths, times, and practice intensities
that, when considered as a whole, becomes
The Plan. She, above all, knows you can’t swim the
Channel without mastering The Plan.
Cleveland, a mother of two who lives in Winnetka,
has conquered most of the planet’s long-distance
ocean swims. She stroked from Catalina Island
to California (23 miles) in the dark. And more
to the point for this exercise, she swam the Channel
in 1994 as a 30th birthday present to herself.
“She’s his coach, but so am I,” Susan says.
“I’m comfortable because he’s comfortable,”
Jennifer adds. “He’s right on track with where he
wants to be. I think it even helped when he tried
the first time to qualify (a required six-hour swim
in 60-degree water) and he didn’t make it. The
water was just a little colder and for every degree
colder, it multiplies the cold for the swimmer by
10 times. So he had the experience of being shivering,
cramping and totally miserable. I think he
now is totally prepared both mentally and physically.”
Once it was clear where the first discussion of
this plan was headed, both women gave up trying
to change anyone’s mind. As if they could.
“He has greatness in him,” Susan McConnell
says of Doug. “He had talked about it, but it took a
partner to pull it out of him. It’s been two years of
training. Age (he’s 53) is pushing the timing. He’s
really been preparing for this his whole life, aiming
for this. This is the next thing, the logical step.
I always saw it in him. I didn’t know quite how
defined swimming was in his life, but this solidified
things and made sense to me.”
The McConnells have thrown the entire family
of husband, wife, and four children into the com-
ing battle with the cold water trip from Dover to
Calais. “Doug leads a very creative life. We have
four kids and three are adopted if that gives you an
idea,” Susan adds. “So he’s capable of doing almost
anything.”
Mack (23), Billy (19), Gordy (17) and Ashley
(13) all have their specific roles in the McConnell
Swimming Circus. Just making sure everyone is
in the right place at the right time is hard enough.
“Had no idea this project we’ve undertaken was so
big,” Susan says. “It’s a bunch of gigantic projects
all wrapped up in little patches. Three of the kids
are lifeguards who can go with him on open water
swims and be his guides. Billy has hand-built
a kayak from scratch, so he could go along in the
water.”
It’s well for Susan that her children all are
strong swimmers, especially if she falls out of the
crew boat. She can’t swim, and shows no motivation
to learn at this point.
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