#BeyondHorizons: crossing two of Canada’s Great Lakes

Corälee Allaert, Jack.org

Corälee Allaert is no stranger to physical challenges. She's competed at a high level of Olympic freestyle wrestling and swam at a university level, but her next challenge is about something more than physical strength. 

This summer, Corälee will attempt to swim across two of the Canadian Great Lakes, Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, in support of Jack.org and youth mental health in the  #BeyondHorizons challenge. Both swims will equate to a total of 71.2 km, which may seem daunting for some, but for Corälee, this is about more than an athletic pursuit.

In 2021, after confiding in a mentor during some personal challenges, he encouraged her to get to the water's edge. "I connect with nature a lot," she said, “so, I realized that the best tool for navigating through my struggles was spending more time at the lake.” This connection played a big role in what was yet to come.

Ontario Place

The two of them sought out a physical challenge, knowing that setting a goal would help take Corälee's mind to a more positive space. Her mentor started throwing out ideas, the biggest and what seemed to be the most outrageous challenges. He joked about climbing Mount Everest or swimming across one of the Great Lakes. She laughed at the idea for a few days, but she couldn't shake the idea of swimming across a Great Lake. Having experience as a swimmer and a connection to nature, she couldn't help but start researching. What would it take? Would it even be possible? She determined that not only would it be possible, but she was going to do it.

Corälee teamed up with the national youth mental health charity, Jack.org and came up with, #BeyondHorizons, a swim across Lake Erie in August 2021. The challenge is about youth mental health advocacy, and she's using her platform to share her story with the goal of inspiring and motivating youth to let them know that it's okay not to be okay. Not only is it okay to not be okay, but "that you can still do things during challenging times."

She connected with a group of individuals to help her make this dream a reality, including Swim Drink Fish ambassador Loren King and began training. Corälee quickly found solace in open water swimming: "the lake is my therapy session. From the duration I'm in the lake to the duration that I'm out, it's therapy for me." That solace was not limited to being inside the lake though, she found herself spending time out of the water by Lake Ontario.

“My watermark would be Lake Ontario at Ontario Place. I call it my “secret spot” because I don’t like telling people about it, but I guess I am now. I’ll walk to the end of the break wall and I’ll just sit there and look out towards the horizon. I’ll imagine myself swimming the Great Lakes and admiring the beauty of nature. If you look one way you can see the CN Tower and if you look the other way you can see Burlington and Hamilton. I think it’s the best spot because you get everything in one spot.” 

By August 2021, she had put in the time and effort; however, there was one other factor she needed on her side: weather. Unfortunately, the weather did not permit Corälee to do her swim as planned. Instead, she headed indoors, where she completed an incredible 12-hour 30km swim in support of Jack.org and youth mental health.

Corälee swimming in support of Jack.org and youth mental health.

This type of physical challenge provides a lot of opportunities for personal growth. This swim taught her a lot about herself, and one of the most important lessons she learned was "that you're never going to have control over everything in life." And while the weather was out of her control that day, it inspired her to set an even bigger goal for 2022. 

In a few days on June 19th, weather permitting, she'll set off to swim 19.2 kilometres across Lake Erie from Sturgeon Point, NY, to Crystal Beach, ON. Following this triumph swim, she'll hit Lake Ontario for a 52-kilometre swim from Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON, to Marilyn Bell Park, ON, on August 3, 2022.

To learn more about how to support Corälee in the #BeyondHorizons challenge, visit www.jack.org/BeyondHorizons.