Event Details:
51 KM Solo Swim across Lake Ontario to raise money and awareness for Mental Health.
Swimming for Mental Health
More than three decades ago, my grandfather Dick Kloss made a monumental decision (at least in my eyes) to swim across Lake Huron. A harrowing 65-kilometre (36 hour) swim from Port Sanilac, Michigan to Grand Bend Ontario. 20 years later, I followed in his footsteps and swam the same 65 kilometres (in 26 hours and 3 minutes), raising $22,000 for cancer research along the way. This incredible feat has shaped me both personally and professionally - meeting my wife because of the swim and the birth of our daughter 7 years later are just two of many milestones that this journey provided! For me, swimming is therapeutic and calming. There’s something about being surrounded by water that adds a certain power dynamic between you and nature – it’s almost as if hearing the water rush past your ears is washing life's challenges away.
After taking almost 11 years off from swimming – I returned to the pool in June 2022 to improve my mental and physical health after what was a mentally exhausting couple of years for many people. Although it was hard at first, the three-mornings-a-week swims at my local YMCA helped me reach a place of clarity that had been missing for several years. My motivation returned and a feeling of mental wellness and fulfillment settled over me. This journey back to wellness began after two losses in my life: the passing away of my grandpa (and swim coach) who greatly impacted my life and the loss of a friend to suicide. Realizing that life is short and feeling a need to rediscover my identity and get my own mental health in check, I took to the pool.
As time passed, I pushed myself to swim further distances - from 1km, then 2km, followed by my longest swim in 11 years – 4km. Stories of mental health struggles, especially those among children, started becoming more frequent. I thought of my 5-year-old daughter, and how much I want to protect her from the darkness and struggle. With each increase in distance I swam, came an increased sense that perhaps there was something else this journey could mean – even if it helped just one person going through a hard time with their own battles. That's when my 5km swim was achieved (the same distance as the longest pool swim I’d completed before swimming across Lake Huron) and plans for much greater undertakings stirred within me: crossing Lake Ontario over August 11th-12th, 2023 to raise awareness and funds for mental health and suicide prevention. I’ve set myself a lofty goal of raising $50,000 for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Canada’s largest mental health hospital which sets the standard for care and research.
It will be an incredible personal feat made even more meaningful due to its potential positive impact on others suffering in silence with similar issues around them.
Start: August 11th, 2023
Niagara-On-The-Lake, ON
Finish: August 12th, 2023
Marilyn Bell Park — Toronto, ON
Jason Kloss will start his swim on August 11th, 2023 and will fight cold temperatures, fatigue and night swimming (with low to no visibility) until he hits the shores of Toronto on August 12th — approximately 20hrs later.
The Cause: Supporting Better Mental Health for All
We are raising money for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Canada's largest mental health teaching hospital. CAMH sets the standards for care, research, education and leading social change.
Swimming for Mental Health
More than three decades ago, my grandfather Dick Kloss made a monumental decision (at least in my eyes) to swim across Lake Huron. A harrowing 65-kilometre (36 hour) swim from Port Sanilac, Michigan to Grand Bend Ontario. 20 years later, I followed in his footsteps and swam the same 65 kilometres (in 26 hours and 3 minutes), raising $22,000 for cancer research along the way. This incredible feat has shaped me both personally and professionally - meeting my wife because of the swim and the birth of our daughter 7 years later are just two of many milestones that this journey provided! For me, swimming is therapeutic and calming. There’s something about being surrounded by water that adds a certain power dynamic between you and nature – it’s almost as if hearing the water rush past your ears is washing life's challenges away.
After taking almost 11 years off from swimming – I returned to the pool in June 2022 to improve my mental and physical health after what was a mentally exhausting couple of years for many people. Although it was hard at first, the three-mornings-a-week swims at my local YMCA helped me reach a place of clarity that had been missing for several years. My motivation returned and a feeling of mental wellness and fulfillment settled over me. This journey back to wellness began after two losses in my life: the passing away of my grandpa (and swim coach) who greatly impacted my life and the loss of a friend to suicide. Realizing that life is short and feeling a need to rediscover my identity and get my own mental health in check, I took to the pool.
As time passed, I pushed myself to swim further distances - from 1km, then 2km, followed by my longest swim in 11 years – 4km. Stories of mental health struggles, especially those among children, started becoming more frequent. I thought of my 5-year-old daughter, and how much I want to protect her from the darkness and struggle. With each increase in distance I swam, came an increased sense that perhaps there was something else this journey could mean – even if it helped just one person going through a hard time with their own battles. That's when my 5km swim was achieved (the same distance as the longest pool swim I’d completed before swimming across Lake Huron) and plans for much greater undertakings stirred within me: crossing Lake Ontario over August 11th-12th, 2023 to raise awareness and funds for mental health and suicide prevention. I’ve set myself a lofty goal of raising $50,000 for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Canada’s largest mental health hospital which sets the standard for care and research.
It will be an incredible personal feat made even more meaningful due to its potential positive impact on others suffering in silence with similar issues around them.
Donate Now and Support Better Mental Health for Everyone
Every $20 Donation Gets you entered to win a trip for 2, to Las Vegas! Just click the link above to donate now!
“When you give to CAMH, you add your voice to the growing chorus demanding to see mental illnesses given the attention they deserve. You acknowledge that these challenges touch all of our lives, and the stigma surrounding them must be eliminated. You invest in the discoveries that will change peoples' lives and the work of the professionals on the front lines of prevention and care. When you give, you become part of a growing movement that believes Mental Health is Health.”
— Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)
