Frigid training, ice cream helping prepare local woman for Nanaimo to Sechelt swim

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A competitive high school swimmer before giving up the sport during her college years, Buggey got back into the pool during the pandemic and has competed at numerous Masters-level events around the world.

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Frigid training, ice cream helping prepare local woman for Nanaimo to Sechelt swim

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Past meets include competing in the World Aquatics Masters Championships in both Singapore and Japan and medaling at a Pan American event in Trinidad and Tobago.

More recently, her training has centred around swims at Westwood Lake in a bid to do what only a finite number of people have done before.

“It’s frustrating because it’s hard to get an accurate number of how many people have actually done it. For marathon swimming, there are very strict rules. If you touch the boat, it’s considered an assisted swim. If you have a wetsuit, it’s an assisted swim because it’s a buoyancy aid. I think there are about 10 people that have officially done it, but there could be more that have accidentally touched the boat, and they didn’t get counted.”

Buggey is an experienced swimmer, competing in World, provincial and national events at the Masters level over recent years. (Image Credit: Melanie Buggey)

She fully expects to actually cover far more than the 29 kilometres of straight-line distance, as tidal shifts, currents and other factors will mean she’s preparing to zig-zag on her journey and potentially swim upwards of 40 actual kilometres.

In training so far, Buggey has swum an average of 100 or more kilometres per month, training five days a week on average.

Buggey’s preparation also involves her trying to add weight ahead of the swim in a bid to stave off hypothermia.

She admits it’s been a challenge.

“I didn’t realize I was burning around 3,000 calories a day from training, so I’ve been eating an obscene amount, but apparently it’s not enough. I’ve been trying to do it the healthy way, and I think I just have to suck it up and eat two litres of ice cream a day at this point, because it’s just not coming on fast enough.”

Buggey plans to swim, unaided, between the Sunshine Coast and Nanaimo later this year. (Image Credit: Google Earth)

Aiding in her challenge is a friend with a boat, who will follow her along the journey, while Buggey is also trying to find someone to paddle a kayak near to her in case of emergency.

Should her experience crossing over to Vancouver Island prove successful, Buggey said she wants to attempt the English Channel swim when she’s in Europe in 2027 for the World Aquatics Masters Championships in Hungary.

Buggey has lived on Vancouver Island most of her life, mostly in the Qualicum Beach and Nanoose area.

She attended university at VIU and lived abroad for a few years before returning to the mid-Island.

Buggey is fundraising for her attempt this summer, with any money raised going towards training and logistics, with more details available through email at melaniebuggey@hotmail.com.

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