“My first open water swim nearly killed me.”
An Ontario man will brave the waters of Lake Ontario once more, embarking on a grueling 51-km journey to raise funds for mental health and suicide prevention.
Jason Kloss started swimming early as a kid, taking up competitive swimming until he was 13. However, it was a decade later that he decided to follow his grandfather Dick Kloss’ footsteps, who had conquered Lake Huron after setting his sights on becoming the oldest person to swim the English Channel over three decades ago.
“My Grandpa had quit smoking and drinking and wanted to live a healthier lifestyle,” Kloss told Now Toronto on Monday.
The oldest person to swim the English Channel at the time was a 70-year-old Australian. His grandfather realized he would have to wait two decades, and opted for Lake Huron instead, completing the 65-km swim from Port Sanilac, Michigan to Grand Bend, Ontario, on his 50th birthday in 1991.
In 2011, 20 years after his grandfather’s feat, Kloss replicated the swim, completing it in a remarkable 26 hours at the age of 24. His motivation extended beyond personal achievement, as he sought to honour his grandfather and others lost to Dementia and Alzheimer’s, while also raising $22,000 for cancer research.
However, Kloss says the swim “nearly killed” him as he braved through shivers, chills and exhaustion during the swim resulting in him falling asleep a couple of times.
“There were really close calls of waking up underwater, and I had to pull myself back up because if you disappear underwater at night, nobody can see you anymore,” he added. “I puked for 30 minutes throughout that swim.”
“And then I didn’t swim again,” he said before taking a pause. “Until probably a couple of years ago, for my mental health, and a friend who had died by suicide.” He had also lost his grandfather to dementia on Oct. 27, 2021.
He returned to his local YMCA pool in June 2022 which was hard at first, but the three-mornings-a-week swims helped him reach a place of clarity that had been missing for several years. “I find swimming is very therapeutic and meditative…it’s the perfect way to honour people who are struggling,” he added.
In 2023, Kloss embarked on his first attempt to swim Lake Ontario, aiming for 51 kms. Battling adverse weather and physical fatigue, he fell short, compelled to withdraw just 13 km from shore after 18 grueling hours.
“It was a little disappointing but that’s part of the game,” he added.
When the tides are against him, he reflects, “In those moments in the water, it’s just you and your thoughts.” But what keeps him going is thinking about his friend, Mike Kuipers, his grandpa, and daughter, Audie, and raising awareness and money for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s (CAMH) mental health cause.
“I also think about all the families who take care of their loved ones with dementia and Alzheimer’s,” he added.
“When I’m in those moments of fatigue, I remind myself…you will come out the other side stronger and better for it. Just keep swimming.”
Despite falling short of completion last year, Jason exceeded his fundraising target, raising over $57,000. However, echoing the core of his cause, he decided to take care of his mental health by freeing himself of specific fundraising goals this time, leaving that to the generous donors.
Kloss will embark on his swim from Niagara-on-the-Lake on Aug. 8, with the aim of reaching Marilyn Bell Park in Toronto, covering a distance of 51 kms by Aug. 9, if the weather conditions are favourable.
He expresses immense gratitude for his crew, many of whom volunteer their time, effort, and equipment to support him.
“It’s nothing short of amazing to see all of these people coming together and making an event like this happen…I’m eternally grateful of those people,” he added.
During his swims, he says he loves having watermelons but the first thing he wishes to do after his swim is to have a “real meal, ideally spaghetti and meatballs.”
As for continuing the family tradition, Kloss says his daughter is taking swimming lessons but “seems to love running, so perhaps we will do a relay one day.”
To support Jason’s Kloss2Cross swim and contribute to CAMH’s mental health initiatives, visit his website.
