by Jessica Kieras
On July 17, 2024, Monika Mittaz became the first person to swim the 37 km length of Lake Neuchâtel without the aid of a wetsuit, pending MSF ratification. The swim, which she completed in a time of 12:45:18, offered water temperatures of 20-21°c and a slight breeze that picked up to around 8.5 mph by the end of the swim. While she was very nervous leading up to the day of the swim, Monika felt strong both physically and mentally throughout the swim. She fundraised over 5000 CHF for an organization called, Léman Hope, which takes children who are in remission from cancer on overnight sailing excursions to rebuild confidence.
Lake Neuchâtel is the largest lake contained entirely within Swiss borders. It is located just forty-five minutes away from where Monika lives, making the logistics of organizing the swim easier to manage than a swim requiring international travel. It was her first swim of this distance. Hoping to avoid injury, Monika limited her distance in the pool to 15-25k/week and included pilates, cross training, physiotherapy for rotator cuffs and regular massage as additional components of her preparation. What makes her training even more impressive is that she is the mother of a young child, who was eighteen months old when she decided to take on this challenge, and two years old when she completed it.
Swimming and Parenting
I asked her what it was like training and pulling off a swim of this caliber, while parenting a young child. Did she have advice for those wanting to try something similar? Having undergone fertility treatments for years, Monika acknowledged that, while parenting is a lot to manage, she “would like to remain sensitive to those out there who would like to become parents and are going through a rough time. I see you!” Her approach to balancing swimming with parenting reflects a level of flexibility and self-compassion we can all aspire to, regardless of parenting status.
Sometimes preparing for these big goals can become an added obligation or stressor for swimmers. For Monika, swimming is a “remedy for staying sane” while carrying the very real mental load of parenting. “I sometimes cannot get my head around how I managed to get ready for this swim when I sometimes don’t even know what I ate for breakfast, juggling potty training, calming all the big emotions, food prepping fresh healthy food for my family, etc…,” she wrote.
Flexibility and Support
For parents out there viewing social media stories of people who are, “doing it all”, it may be refreshing to hear that it isn’t easy to juggle these things, and no one is doing it perfectly. “As a mom to a 2 year old, having a solid training plan is key, but also being gentle and kind towards yourself when life gets in the way of it is essential,” Monika said. “I was patient and forgiving when life came in the way of meeting the number on my training plan. I arrived at 86% of what I had planned, which I accepted fully.”
Monika notes that having a supportive partner has been key and that she is currently on a “professional break (also known as a “Power Pause”)” and gets in long swims during her two days of childcare per week along with a once a week session with her masters team. She also noted she has been inspired “moms out there doing big gnarly swims… (e.g. Sam Farrow and Marieke Blomme who both swam the length of Lake Geneva this summer).”
Monika recommends this swim for “anyone who has swum 25k and is looking for that next step. It is also fresh water, so that is something to take into consideration with regards to buoyancy compared to long salt water swims. Anyone who has done the Lake Zurich swim would definitely enjoy this route.”
