the swim at "don". our annual sunrise swim swim for strength.

The Sunrise Swim for Strength has been a tradition since we hosted the first one prior to the 2015 Ironman Muskoka, as our club’s way of welcoming athletes and visitors from around the world to our community.

Local triathletes and swimmers are fortunate to gather at sunrise a couple of times a week at Camp Kitchen to enjoy a swim out into Fairy Lake, with one of the favorite swim routes being the 1.6km trip around Alice Island. After the morning swim, several people head off to a local cafe to enjoy a cuppa joe before everyone starts their day.

So, we want to share this with our guests coming for the Ironman 70.3 Muskoka weekend.

The event has been renamed The Swim at ‘Don’ after local triathlon legend Don McCormick passed away in 2021. Don was an inspiration to us all.

Don was a strong advocate for not only triathlon in our community, but he was also an individual who was a change-maker in our community in order to ensure that all of our community residents have access to publicly accessible fitness equipment and trails.

In his honour and to continue in his efforts to make our community a vibrant and active community, the Sunrise Swim will aid in our efforts to raise money for THE MSCLE PROJECT otherwise known as the Movement for Strength, Conditioning, and active Lifestyles for Everyone. Read more about it here.

 
 
 

One simple click and you can help us raise money for the MSCLE Project!

 
 

Want to see where everything is happening? take a look at this Interactive Map!

Note … that you are swimming out and back, so feel free to turn around at any point that you feel you have had enough of a warm up! Come on back to the dock for coffee, sticky buns, and breakfast!

the schedule of events swim. eat. drink. laugh and be merry.

6:15am

  • Park behind the Active Living Center or at the parking lot by the hill just by the train station and walk down Camp Kitchen Road to get to Camp Kitchen. It is about a 10-minute stroll. Bring whatever you want to have there. There is a place where you can put your bag and gear while you swim. Don’t worry, we will keep a good eye on it!

  • Participant check-in commences for the swim at Camp Kitchen. Park at the back of the Canada Summit Centre (click here for the link) near the Active Living Centre (there will be signs) and walk down to Camp Kitchen which is about a 10-minute walk

7:00am

  • Pre-event announcements will take place at Camp Kitchen. The 70.3 swim starts at 7 am, so you will have the exact amount of lighting that you will have the next morning!

7:15am

  • Hop in the water and swim the 1.6km course or any part thereof. This is not a race and is a great chance to get out for a swim and do a little course recon at the same time. So, stop and look around. Figure out your points for sighting while the waters are calm. We just want to spread the swimmers out a bit so that people get back to the coffee dock in a staggered fashion.

  • We think that the dock would sink if everyone came back at the same time!

  • The buoys will be set up in the exact location that the race will be using, so you will literally be swimming on the course.

  • We have added section where you swim around Alice Island to get to the 1.6km distance.

  • Stop at the 2nd buoy and look at where the second turn will be so you can get a landmark to sight off of for the next morning. Turn around anywhere you want to head back to the coffee dock and for some tasty homemade treats for breakfast!

7:45am

  • Get back to Camp Kitchen at your pace and swim up to the coffee dock. Enjoy a cuppa super delicious locally roasted Threshold coffee, and then swim ashore for some tasty homemade baked goods, fruit, and a whole bunch of yummy goodness to fuel you for the race the next day.

9:00am

  • Get back to everything else that you had planned for Saturday! Don’t forget about all of the great fun lined up on Saturday in town!

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THANK YOU TO ALL SPONSORS, PARTICIPANTS AND VOLUNTEERS