Barrington Man Hosts Long Swim in Lake Zurich

From ALS: Barrington resident Doug McConnell is one of the 1,800 or so people to have swum the English Channel. His inspiration was a passion for raising money for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. McConnell lost his father, Dave, to the disease in 2006, and his sister, Ellen, to it in 2018.

A night with friends led to brainstorming. "How can I raise money and awareness for ALS, a disease currently without a cure?" Since Doug was a lifelong swimmer, friends concurred he should use his talent for the cause. In this case, swimming the open water of the English Channel. Doug's wife Susan wanted to involve their children and a few good friends who were looking forward to helping Doug reach his goal. “When I said it would be a huge undertaking with training, and planning and I would be away from our children, my wife Susan turned it around and said that she and our kids would be my team” says McConnell who was proud of his son for coming up with an idea to get rid of the canoe they were using to help Doug while he was training and make a kayak. “He not only came up with the idea but he researched it and pitched it to me, he anticipated a problem and came up with a solution. I knew right then our team was strong!” In addition to completing the English Channel swim, McConnell and his team have completed five other swims considered “marathons” with distances ranging from 15-32 miles and has raised more than $500,000 in support of ALS.

McConnell’s quest didn't end there. He is continuing his goal with A Long Swim- June 2, 2019, in Lake Zurich's Paulus Park, 200 S. Rand Road. The event kicks off at 6am and include professionally-timed swims for: 5k, 2.4 miles, 1.2 miles, 1,500 meters and 750 meters. Registration is open to the public, and ranges from $60-$80 prior to event day. On-site registration is also available for an additional $15. A Long Swim’s net proceeds

from these swims support ALS research at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and, the Ellen McConnell Blakeman ALS Research Fellowship named after McConnell's sister. ALS is a disorder that affects the function of nerves and muscles. Based on U.S. population studies, a little over 6,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with ALS each year.

(That means that someone is diagnosed with ALS every 90 minutes. Sadly, it also means that someone dies from ALS every 90 minutes.) It is estimated that as many as 30,000 Americans have the disease at any given time. A Long Swim reminds us of the effects of disease, and serves as a contrast. While an ALS patient gradually loses the use of their muscles, swimming requires us to use all our muscles, all the time. The McConnell family continues to host open water swims, and tackle challenges in several open water adventures raising money for ALS. To date, they have raised more than $500,000 and pledge to continue to host events and participate in fundraisers until they meet an ALS survivor.

Registration is open and donations for ALS are always welcome. Please visit www.ALongSwim.org for additional information.