Edie Markovich, 15, is training for the most difficult swim of her life: 25 miles of continuous swimming in one of the 25-yard lanes at the Verdugo Aquatic Facility in Burbank.
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"I'm very excited but not nervous. I'm confident that everything is going to go well," Markovich said.
This isn't a competition, and Markovich isn't swimming to set a record. Instead, she's raising money for thousands of people in Southern California suffering from food insecurity.
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"During COVID, the hunger crisis has just skyrocketed, and I wanted to do something about it. Raise money and non-perishable food items for two charities," said Markovich. "One is the Burbank Temporary Aid Center, which is a local food pantry that's going to help out the local community and then I'm going to get the monetary donations (which) will go to the L.A. Regional Food Bank."
"For a 15-year-old to do this, this is beyond an amazing feat. The most I've ever seen in one day in a pool from 5:30 to 5:30 was 16 miles," said Larry Turkheimer, co-founder of the LA Tri Club.
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The LA LA Tri Club is sponsoring Markovich. The swim is Saturday, March 13, and Turkheimer along with other swimmers will jump in the pool for 45-minute segments to support Markovich on this marathon journey.
"One of the most difficult parts about swimming like this in a pool is that you're going straight, but then you're having to turn and go back the other way. You don't want to get dizzy and you don't want to forget where you are," Turkheimer said.
If you'd like to support Markovich's mission to feed the hungry, you can visit the Verdugo Aquatic Facility on Saturday from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. to donate, or you can visit http://www.outswimminghunger.com/.