Halli Reid facts for kids

Halli Reid is an amazing swimmer who became the first woman to swim all the way across Lake Erie. She did this incredible feat on August 9, 1993, when she was 24 years old. Halli swam from Long Point, Ontario, in Canada, to Freeport Beach in North East, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Her swim took 17 hours!

When she finally reached the shore at Freeport Beach, about 200 people were there to cheer her on. Halli was actually the fourth person ever to complete this challenging swim. She later said that a big problem during her swim was a lot of pain in her shoulder. She even told a reporter, "I would never, ever do it again!" Her brother, Clint, was nearby in a boat to make sure she was safe.

To honor her huge accomplishment, a park in Freeport Beach was renamed "Halli Reid Park." There's even a special plaque there. Also, August 9th was named "Halli Reid Day" by the mayor of North East, Pennsylvania, which is Halli's hometown.

Halli had been a swim coach at the YMCA and worked as a lifeguard at the beach since she was in ninth grade. She trained for her big swim for about two years. She was 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighed 120 pounds. Doctors were worried she might not finish the swim because of the cold water, especially since she didn't gain much weight during her first year of training. But she managed to gain 20 extra pounds in her second year to help her stay warm. Even though Lake Erie's water is usually warm in early August, it can get much colder at night, especially with winds. Halli was a college graduate and also worked part-time at her family's lumber yard when she did the swim.

Her Incredible Swim Across Lake Erie

Halli estimated she swam about 24.3 miles (39.1 km). However, a straight line between her start and end points is closer to 21 miles. She likely swam extra miles because of currents and drifting off course.

No Wetsuit, Just Grit

Halli did not wear a wetsuit for her swim. She only wore a regular bathing suit and had a coating of grease on her skin. This grease helped protect her from the cold water.

Battling the Waves

The swim was very tough, especially during the night. High winds created big waves that made it hard to move forward. For about two hours in the dark, she made very little progress. Waves kept hitting her face, making the swim even more difficult.

Start to Finish

Halli started her swim from the Canadian shore around 5:45 PM on a Sunday. She arrived at Freeport Beach in North East, Pennsylvania, at 10:28 AM the next day, Monday. Brent Peters was her coach for this amazing journey. After the swim, Halli told the press that she had no plans to do it again!

Inspiration and Other Swimmers

Halli Reid was inspired to swim across Lake Erie after seeing two men, Bob North and Harvey Snell, complete the swim four years earlier. She also really wanted to be the first woman to achieve this goal.

Breaking the Record

On August 8, 2005, another swimmer named Sara McClure, also from North East, Pennsylvania, swam across Lake Erie. She finished in 15 hours, 2 minutes, and 19 seconds. This broke Halli's record by almost two hours! The distance for Sara's swim was reported as 23.7 miles.

Since Halli Reid's swim, two other women have also successfully crossed Lake Erie: Paula Stephanson and Paula Jongerden. Halli's incredible swim was officially recognized by the Lake Erie Open Water Swimming Association.