Dionne Tatlow swam across Lac La Ronge back in 2016. (submitted photo/Dionne Tatlow)

By larongeNOW Staff

endurance

Former La Ronge resident still swimming, raises cash for YWCA

Jul 20, 2020 | 5:00 PM

A former resident of La Ronge, who works as a chiropractor, hasn’t stopped swimming large distances since moving to Regina last year.

Dionne Tatlow most recently completed an approximately 80-kilometre swim at Last Mountain Lake last week. The swim, which she accomplished with Adrien van Dyke, Kelsey van Dyke and Meghan Chisholm, took more than 27 hours and began July 15 at 5 a.m. Each of the ladies took turns swimming for one hour at a time in a relay style.

“We swam South continuously and we finished at Lumsden Beach, which is at the South end of the lake roughly just past 8 a.m. Thursday,” Tatlow said. “It was way too long for me to do myself. I swam Lac La Ronge a couple of years ago and it was 45 kilometres.”

Tatlow explained she usually picks a summer project every year and she was hoping to do a swim in Montana, but it was disrupted due to the pandemic. Tatlow remained in Saskatchewan and noted she began swimming in lakes on March 31 because all the pools had also been shut down. Tatlow ultimately chose Last Mountain Lake as this year’s project.

“It was nice to have the girls there. La Ronge was so special because I lived on the lake, I swam in the lake every day,” she said. “This was also interesting because I was seeing new stuff all the time. It was nice to share with the girls. It was nice to get on the boat and talk.”

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Comparing the two swims, Tatlow mentioned she misses the water quality of the lakes in northern Saskatchewan. She also noted Last Mountain Lake was unique because of her one-hour 2 a.m. swim under the stars.

The swim served as a fundraiser for the YWCA in Regina and netted approximately $8,300. It was in part supported by Performance Marine, G & S Outfitters and the Regina Masters Swim Team.

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derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno