Doing the Backstroke Across Lake Erie Would Be Hard Enough . . .

. . . but 14-year-old Natalie Lambert swam the butterfly for 20 kilometers (over 12 miles) across the Great Lake. And she did so in record time.

I swam the butterfly in high school and 100 yards (or meters during the off-season) wore me out. 200 meters, the longest competitive distance for a butterfly race, hurt me for days. This girl swam 20,000 meters, or 100 200s. That's ridiculous.

Why did she do it?

She dedicated her swim to raising awareness for Y-Knot, a YMCA program that allows physically disabled children and their siblings to participate in sport together. Her 17-year-old sister Jenna, an avid marathon swimmer who crossed Lake Ontario two years ago, has cerebral palsy, and the program allows the sisters to train together.