Stanley Mallett is a person willing to go the distance for the Grand Valley Swim Challenge.
In May, Mallet was the first person at the Fergus pool to complete the In Motion Grand River challenge.
That challenge was to swim a distance equivalent to the Grand River – about 300 kilometres or 12,000 lengths of the Fergus swimming pool.
The Grand River challenge offers a number of smaller goals as well: 1,000 lengths (25km), 2,000 lengths (50km) and 4,000 lengths (100km).
Signing up for the program is free, and participants can earn prizes for every 100km completed.
Aquatics supervisor Bruce Parkin explained the challenge is tied in with the In Motion program and is open to all pool patrons.
The intent, is to encourage activity.
He added Mallett completed the distance in early May.
So far about 100 individuals are taking part in the program which started last October.
Next to the pool is a map of the Grand River watershed, which indicates the number of participants and how far they have travelled.
But, Parkin stressed, participants are welcome to start at any time.
In addition to taking up the challenge, Mallett had other reasons to take part.
As a diabetic, the exercise helps reduce the amount of his medications, plus he has a bad shoulder.
But for Mallett, it might not have been as much of a challenge as for others. He has been using the Fergus pool since the day it opened.
