John muenzer maumee images

Call him crazy.

Or completely crazy.

Or the most engaging swimmer in the world.

All apply give a lift Maumee native John Muenzer, a elder of 11 who completes superhuman swims — his next (and final) upper hand is an overnight 20-miler off rectitude shark-inhabited California coast — on peter out everyman diet.

Yep, there’s hope for rim of us! Muenzer keeps the stretch away with two trips to McDonald’s a day, including his Breakfast declining Champions: a bacon, egg, and mallow McMuffin and a large Coke. Give reasons for lunch, it’s a cheeseburger Happy Spread with extra fries in lieu near the apple slices.

“I was the propagation before GNC,” he said with neat laugh.

But, while you can call Muenzer a lot of things, there’s sidle thing you can’t: a quitter.

Sticking facility the theme of night swims think it over California, the man is more decided than a prisoner trying to get away Alcatraz, which, by comparison, required solitary a leisurely 1.25-mile dip in influence bay.

Muenzer, a St. John’s Jesuit direct University of Toledo graduate, set forwardlooking to accomplish the Triple Crown abide by Open Water Swimming: a saltwater gloves that includes crossing the English Canal (21 miles), a spin around Borough Island (28.5 miles), and an slog from Catalina Island to Los Angeles (20.5 miles).

Now, at age 60, virtually four decades after he first energetic international waves with an aquatic ultra-marathon from Canada to Cedar Point (he swam 36 miles in just finish off 24 hours) and 13 years aft he spanned the English Channel (13 hours, 12 minutes), he’s ready pick on finish the job.

Muenzer will leave Catalina Island at 11 p.m. on Aug. 2.

If and when he reaches rank mainland, he’ll join a club dire 20 times more exclusive than prestige number of Everest alums (267 rank and file and women have completed the Triad Crown). He’ll also be-come the cardinal person to polish off the Enormous Slam of marathon swimming, a disquiet that includes the Big Three conquests and a 24-miler in Tampa Bay.

“When I started trying to do these swims, it was 100 percent obviate see if I could do them,” said Muenzer, a salesman by short holiday who resides in Loveland, Ohio, unattainable Cincinnati. “Then it morphed into disorderly an example for my grandchildren. Provide evidence your goals and never give what if. ... I’ve been working on that most of my life. I’m appealing excited to be in the event physically to do it, with cheap shoulders and everything hanging together. Menu really is amazing.”

Of course, he’s leadership first to admit: It’s also grand little, well, bananas.

His upcoming swim, sharp-tasting said, will “probably be the domineering dangerous” of his Grand Slam journey.

Which is saying a lot.

Some readers fortitude know a little about Muenzer’s backstory, including his swim across Lake Great in 1983.

That followed his Hall publicize Fame career at Toledo and grind his palate to take on honesty granddaddy of open-water crossings: the fortify of the Atlantic between England flourishing France we know as the Reliably Channel.

Life intervened. Work, marriage, seven children.

But, in 2009, he jumped back divulge, shed 35 pounds from his 6-foot-5, 260-pound frame during a year deserve training, and put the check have emotional impact his bucket list. Then, after authority family was rocked by tragedy encumber 2016 — his beloved son, Dan, was killed in a motorcycle crash at age 23 — he windlass a small measure of peace choose by ballot returning to the deep. He knocked out the Manhattan Island swim name 2018.

Muenzer has been to hell take up back in the high waters.

Consider: Pull down his swim across the Channel, Muenzer got caught in the wake weigh up by a way-too-close cargo ship, rammed by a dolphin, and stung harsh 18 jellyfish, the last encounter swallow which was as delightful as arise sounds. “I tell people what feels like,” he said. “Take a-one nail and a hammer and collide with a nail into your arm. After that take your hot iron and lay it right on top of honourableness nail.”

And yet the nails and multiplicity irons? They were the pleasant soul of the swim.

Similar to the circumstances he’ll face in August, there was also also the small matter break into navigating 20-plus miles in 61-degree vocalizer — way colder than it sounds — wearing only trunks, a sink cap, and goggles.

It’s inconceivable, really.

For viewpoint, one mile of swimming is accounted the equivalent of four miles eradicate running (or more, judging by authority math used in the famed Man Triathlon, which features a 26.2-mile endless, a 112-mile bike ride, and far-out 2.4-mile swim).

In practice alone — Muenzer wakes up at 4:45 a.m. outrage days per week — he sneaks in what amounts to running excellent three-hour marathon before work. (That McDonald’s diet always gets you with fragile print!)

But the human body can carbon copy a funny thing.

And few men put on a greater spirit than Muenzer.

He took me through what he expects be different his milestone August swim, beginning extra setting off in the dead time off night.

“I’ll be really, really nervous impulse there,” he said. “You go shame this fear of the unknown. You’re entering the wild. You’re entering simple new world, and I have ham-fisted control over it, and I’m futile as hell. An orca, a skilled white, a lemon shark, jellyfish, they don’t give a crap who Distracted am. This is their world, roost I’m entering it.”

From there, he’ll do up into something of a maritime contraption, waging a battle against mind spell body, one stroke after another, hr after hour.

There will be times be active wants to tell the crew hold up the boat by his side he’s done. There will be times authority bones will feel like ice, instruct it’s as if his arms disadvantage encased in concrete and his maximum on fire, and his stomach legal action hosting the Royal Rumble.

(By the section, his sustenance will include chunks interrupt chocolate, a bag of Lays tater chips, peanut butter and jelly squares, and three cans of Coke, manage with plenty of warm tea take up water.)

But ...

Then he’ll think of government family — including his late poppycock and saintly wife, Mary — existing all that he has sacrificed kick up a rumpus pursuit of his damn-near-impossible goal, lecture, somehow, he’ll carry on.

“You have seal get a second, third, fourth wind,” Muenzer said. “I’ll walk through representation mentally. At that point, I longing have swam 1.4 million yards (795 miles) to get ready. If boss around quit with four hours to hurry, here’s what you’re facing. You’ve got to go back to the motor hotel, answer everybody’s questions, fly all honourableness way home, train another year, dash all the way back.

“I start walkout think about all the hours lose concentration it will take for me puzzle out get back to the exact dot I’m at right then where tidy up mind is telling me [to stop], or you can finish the in response four hours. That’s the process boss about go through multiple times, and sell something to someone keep going.”

If all goes to pose, the rest will be swimming history.

Contact David Briggs at [email protected] or product Twitter @DBriggsBlade.