RILEY COUNTY (KSNT) - Melodee Liegl is making a big splash in Kansas after she completed a swim across one of the state's biggest lakes.
At the age of 57, Liegl has completed numerous challenging swims across the country both in lakes and the ocean. Her list of accomplishments includes a 27-mile swim from Grand Forks, ND to Oslo, MN and a 36-mile swim from Belmont Park, ND to East Grand Forks, MN.
With this impressive record of achievements under her belt, the Delafield, WI native looked at conquering the waters of one of Kansas' largest bodies of water: Tuttle Creek Lake. This lake is recognized as the second-largest in Kansas, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).
Liegl told 27 News that while this wasn't as big as some of her previous swims, she still needed to make several preparations before the attempt.
This included scouting the water ahead of time and finding people to accompany her by boat.
"With a distance like that it's not super safe to do by yourself," Liegl said. "I'm used to a lot of people living on lakes but Tuttle Creek is pretty quiet."
Answering the call for help was Liegl's daughter Regan Nugent, a recent graduate from Kansas State University. She and three other fellow K-State students offered to watch over Liegl while she completed her swim down Tuttle Creek.
"She's so passionate about swimming, I want to be able to find something like that that I can be passionate about in my life," Nugent said.
Liegl said she became inspired to try her luck at Tuttle Creek around three years ago. Always on the lookout for new challenges, she noted Tuttle Creek as being a good option for a long-distance swim while her daughter attended classes at the nearby university. She finally made the trip down to the water's edge at the dam for the undertaking around 5 a.m. on Monday, June 24.
All told, the swim took Liegl seven hours to complete. The total distance traveled came out to 13.9 miles. A marathon in the water is considered 6.2 miles distance, making her swim across Tuttle Creek more than a double-marathon.
"I felt great afterwards," Liegl said.
Liegl said she prepares for swimming challenges like this by hopping in the water for several hours a day. The day after completing her swim across Tuttle Creek, she said she was back in a gym pool doing what she does best.
"I swim close to three hours every day so I have the training pretty well done," Liegl said. "Very early in the morning. People don't know what they're missing by not getting up early."
Liegl's swim in Kansas was recorded by Nugent who said she had to keep an eye on her mom the entire time. She marked down how fast her mom was moving and her position using longitude and latitude throughout the challenge.
This was my second swim where I was on the boat and part of the crew," Nugent said. "She gave me a list of things to do."
The biggest issue Nugent and Liegl encountered was a high amount of driftwood in the form of tree limbs which had to be avoided. Nugent said she helped her mom navigate these watery obstacles and threw her food and bottle water when needed as Liegl couldn't touch the boat during the swim.
Swimming has remained Liegl's passion since 2008 when she first started doing challenges like this. The swims offer her the opportunity to push herself and do something she genuinely enjoys.
"I would say I'm a little obsessed with swimming," Liegl said. "It's fun, it's something to look forward to. I swim so much, I'm ready for most swims I do. It's the highlight of the summer to do a swim like this."
Liegl said she wanted to thank the other boat crew members including Jonathan Oury, Cody Gieber and Juana Ayala for their help. She also said Kathy O'Malley with Wildcat Marina was instrumental in helping her get ready for the swim.
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