BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — More than 200 locals have joined the 100 Mile Club, swimming (you guessed it) 100 miles at the McMurtrey Aquatic Center. To put that into perspective, that's greater than the distance between Downtown Bakersfield and Santa Clarita.
- One lap is 50 yards at the McMurtrey Aquatic Center.
- Imagine swimming 3,500 laps– or 100 miles.
- More than 200 locals are doing just that.
- There’s a drop-in rate of $5 for the McMurtrey Aquatic Center, as well as other passes offered, but the 100 Mile Club itself is free to participate in.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Jeff Smith started swimming professionally at just nine-years-old; eventually earning a scholarship at UCSB.
Then for 41 years, he stopped.
That is until he joined the 100 Mile Club at the McMurtrey Aquatic Center.
“My prayer every morning when I decide to swim is to be able to get out of the pool on my own and not be carried out by the people in the red outfits,” said Smith,”... I realized that in order to stay in good cardiovascular shape and to keep the weight I’m not keeping off down, I should swim. So I’ve been swimming starting at 62, now I’m 79.”
So far, Smith has reached nearly 600 miles.
Katharine Dye, the recreation supervisor with the City of Bakersfield, says he is one of about 250 active participants in the program.
“The 100 Mile Club is a program that started about 20 years ago when the facility opened,” said Dye. “It’s an incentive program for our lap swimmers here at McMurtrey to keep them coming back every day to stay in shape.”
Swimmers earn incentives along the way, and once they reach a new milestone, their name is displayed on the aquatic center’s bulletin board.
While some swimmers compete with each other’s time, others say it’s also an internal challenge.
“The biggest challenge really is focus,” said Smith. “When you’re out at 30 minutes and 35 minutes, your mind is wandering about all over the world, and I could be here, there, everywhere and business things and so the challenge is between your ears. It’s that void between my ears that gets me all the time– focus.”
100 miles sounds intimidating, but Dye says swimmers can go at their own pace.
“Some people walk their miles, some people swim their miles, they make their own workouts. So one person, it could take a year to get to their hundred miles. Another person, it could be done in six months. It just varies,” said Dye.
There’s a drop-in rate of $5 for the McMurtrey Aquatic Center, as well as other passes offered, but the 100 Mile Club itself is free to participate in.
For details on how to sign up for the challenge, visit the front desk at the McMurtrey Aquatic Center.
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