When the coronavirus forced the whole world into uncharted waters earlier this year, knowing we weren’t in it alone provided a little bit of comfort. For Brian Lanahan and Sara Stevenson ’13 (M.P.A.), it also provided encouragement and motivation โ and, thanks to that mutual support, it wasn’t long before they’d found their sea legs.
Last month โ after training together five to six days a week since the beginning of the pandemic โ the two cheered each other on in their respective open-water swims: Lanahan swam 17 miles from Drayton Hall to Fort Sumter and Stevenson swam the 15 miles around Folly Island.
Sara Stevenson at Trophy Lakes. (Photos by Heather Moran)
โIt was a real leap of faith for me,โ says Stevenson, research protections and compliance administrator in the College of Charleston’s Office of Research and Grants Administration. โI wouldnโt have even attempted it if it werenโt for Brian. But Brian said I could do it, and so I believed him.โ
In fact, before the pandemic, Stevenson was planning to swim a seven-mile open-water race around Lido Key in Sarasota, Florida, in April 2020. Sheโd been training at the Danny Jones Pool in North Charleston, joining Lanahan, who was training for a 44-mile solo swim around Cumberland Island, Georgia.
“And then along came the coronavirus,” says Lanahan, associate professor of teacher education and a longtime open-water swimmer, explaining that โ when the pool closed down โ he suggested Stevenson meet him at Trophy Lakes on Johns Island to continue training. โItโs not every day that I find someone who wants to swim as far as we do, so itโs hard to get people to train with.โ
Brian Lanahan at Trophy Lakes.
It turns out, Stevenson and Lanahan made the perfect swim buddies.
โFirst of all,โ says Stevenson, โitโs just good to have someone there to keep you accountable โ if you know thereโs someone waiting for you, youโre going to show up.โ
โThe fact that Saraโs faster than me is just a bonus,โ agrees Lanahan. โHer speed really pushed me.โ
And Lanahanโs confidence pushed Stevenson.
โBrian is kind of fearless; I am not,โ she says. โBut that helped me, and I ended up basically doubling my expectation of the distance I was going to do.โ
โWe upsized her,โ laughs Lanahan, adding that he was proud of Stevensonโs accomplishment, especially because he could see her struggling against the tide on the third leg of her swim. โIt was like a street fight for a minute there.โ
Brian Lanahan and Sara Stevenson training at Trophy Lakes on Johns Island.
He knows from experience just how hard it can be when youโre up against tides, currents and weather.
โAround here, tides are everything,โ he says. โYouโve got to plan around tides or youโll make things really hard on yourself.โ
And even swimming 100 miles at Trophy Lakes canโt prepare you for that.
โTrophy is great for training โ itโs crystal clear and itโs a very controlled environment,โ says Stevenson. โOnce weโre out in the open water, there are a lot of variables that you donโt have control of. So itโs nice to take out those variables while we practice.โ
So, what will these swim buddies be practicing for next? Lanahan hopes to circle back to the Cumberland Island swim, and Stevenson also has her eyes set on more open-water swims.
And, while it may be hard to make definite plans in the midst of a global pandemic, at least they know they donโt have to go it alone.
