Teenager’s attempt to swim length of Okanagan Lake paused for hospital visit

Robyn Coleman has had to put her attempt to swim the length of Okanagan Lake on hold.

The 19-year-old stroke survivor was striving to swim 106 kilometres from Vernon to Penticton this week, all while raising funds for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

She began her journey Sunday afternoon, but had to abandon her efforts around 24 hours later after making it into Central Okanagan waters.

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A post shared by Robyn Coleman (@rcmarathonswim)

"Throughout her swim, Robyn was experiencing some medical issues unrelated to the swim itself," explained Katie Wallace in an update provided on behalf of Coleman and her family. "Despite this, she showed incredible resilience – continuing on and clocking an impressive 3 km/h."

Unfortunately, Wallace says, the symptoms became bad enough that Coleman had to pause the swim and be assessed by medical professionals.

Coleman's swim is now on a 24-hour medical hold to determine whether she can safely continue.

"Robyn’s health and safety are our top priorities, and we want to reassure everyone that she is okay and being well looked after," noted Wallace.

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A post shared by Abby (@abbyliftz03)

Coleman was looking to become the first woman, and just the third person overall, to swim the length of Okanagan Lake.

She was inspired to take on the challenge while watching Nick Pelletier accomplish the feat in 2023.

The first person to swim non-stop from Vernon to Penticton still holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest time, as Adam Ellenstein did it in a hair under 41 hours in 2016.

While the swim has stopped – for now – Coleman's fundraising efforts have not.

"What began as a deeply personal goal for Robyn has now grown into something much greater, with her inspiring journey helping to raise funds for the Heart and Stroke Foundation," explained Wallace.

So far, Coleman has raised over $16,000 toward her new fundraising goal of $21,200. You can donate through this link.

_{Thumbnail photo courtesy of Robyn Coleman's Instagram page.}