What to know
- Toronto long distance swimmer Lev Goldberg became the first transgender person to swim across Lake Huron.
- Goldberg spent 29 hours and 43 minutes continuously in the water, swimming from Port Sanilac, M.I., to Port Franks, Ont.
- He faced waves reaching four feet, winds of up to 20 knots and extreme fatigue while swimming through the night.
- The crossing is raising money for LGBT Youthline. Goldberg ultimately hopes to swim all five Great Lakes within five years.
Lev Goldberg just became the first transgender person to swim across Lake Huron.
In 2025, the ultramarathoner became the first trans person to swim across Lake Ontario. It took Goldberg 24 hours straight, and he swam a total of 51 kilometres. After completing the physical feat, he then set his eyes on Lake Huron.
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After training for months, Goldberg finally took on the 53-kilometre journey. He started from Port Sanilac, M.I. and ended in Port Franks, Ont., swimming for a total of 29 hours and 43 minutes without any breaks in between.
Now Toronto caught up with Goldberg after he had a chance to rest to learn about the challenges he faced during the swim and how it feels to be the first transgender person to cross Lake Huron.
Despite swimming by himself, Goldberg says he was accompanied by a boat and two safety observers from Solo Swims Ontario to ensure his safety.
“They monitored the weather as well as my general wellbeing to ensure it was always safe to continue the swim,” he tells Now Toronto. “We chartered a large lead boat that set our course, and I was accompanied by two 16-foot inflatable boats that stayed near me at all times.”
To qualify as an unassisted solo swim across Lake Huron, he says he wasn’t allowed to touch the accompanying boat or take any breaks. The only “rest” he got was eating every 30 minutes while he treaded water to keep afloat.
Nearly 30 hours in the water
Goldberg’s day began at 6 a.m. on Aug. 5. He swam continuously throughout the day, into the night and ended his journey around noon on Aug. 6.
Although the weather conditions weren’t ideal, he says the stretch between Wednesday and Thursday was the only safe time to attempt the swim. Some of the challenges he faced included waves reaching four feet high and winds as strong as 20 knots (37 kilometres per hour).
“The water basically never stopped moving, and I had to go with the waves,” Goldberg explains.
While swimming overnight, Goldberg says the sensation of pulling an all-nighter in the water felt like “my brain was dreaming while my body was moving.”
“I had several hallucinations during the swim; I felt like I could see a skyline in the distance, even though there was none there, and I was imagining conversations that were not happening with my crew in the boat.”
Towards the end of his swim, he says that seeing the coastline in the distance duped him into believing he was close to shore, when he actually had four hours of swimming still to go.
“I could see land. However, I wasn’t aware that I would see land for the last four hours of the swim, so I believed I was almost done, because I had a distorted sense of time,” he details.
It wasn’t until he asked his crew how to get to shore that they informed him he still had “hours left.”
After swimming for hours towards a shoreline that never seemed to get any closer, Goldberg says the monotonous nature of the final stretch got to him. A pacer — who keeps swimmers and runners in a marathon at a consistent speed — swam a few kilometres with him, which helped him regain target pace.
“At this point, I was able to up my pace, get through the current, and finally reach the shore. I took about six hours and 45 minutes to complete the section that my observer told me would take seven to eight hours.”
First transgender person to swim across Lake Huron
In the current climate, where transgender people’s right to play sports has become front and centre in political debates across North America, Goldberg says he is “so proud to be a story of trans joy and trans accomplishment.”
“It is a major accomplishment to be the first trans person to complete this swim among very few people who ever have,” he says.
“Seven people total, including me, have ever completed ratified swims across Lake Huron. I am the fourth person to complete this particular route, and the second man to complete any route, ever.”
For his swim across Lake Huron, Goldberg partnered with LGBT Youthline for the 55km for Trans Visibility Partnership, which raised money for the organization, and in turn, vulnerable queer and trans young people.
He says the operating costs for his swim have been fully covered, and all contributions made now will go directly to LGBT Youthline.
“Last year, my swim was able to raise over $7,000 for Youthline, and this year I am hoping we can match or exceed that contribution.”
If you would like to make a donation to Goldberg’s GoFundMe, here is the link.
What’s next for Goldberg?
After swimming nonstop for nearly 53 kilometres, Goldberg says he doesn’t have any Great Lakes crossings planned for the rest of 2026 — but definitely for 2027. He has a goal of swimming all five Great Lakes in five years.
“I am still considering my options for which one will be next. I ultimately am dreaming of a 48 to 50-hour swim, which I am envisioning for myself in the next one to three years.”
