SWIM AGAINST CANCER

5 GREAT LAKES · 5 YEARS · 1 MISSION

Kirsten Seidel

A five-year mission to swim the full length of all five Great Lakes - beginning with Lake Superior

EXPLORE THE MISSION
Dramatic Pictured Rocks cliffs along Lake Superior in Michigan
Dramatic Pictured Rocks cliffs along Lake Superior in Michigan
Kirsten Seidel adjusting her goggles while resting in the water
Split Rock Lighthouse overlooking Lake Superior in Minnesota
Sand dunes and shoreline overlooking Lake Michigan at Sleeping Bear Dunes
Kirsten Seidel swimming freestyle in open water
Sunset reflections across the Lake Michigan shoreline
Clear blue Lake Huron water and rocky shoreline near Tobermory, Ontario
Kirsten Seidel swimming freestyle, wearing a pink cap
Limestone sea stack and rocky shore at Flowerpot Island in Lake Huron
Lighthouse on the Lake Erie shoreline at Presque Isle, Pennsylvania
Swimmer and a red support canoe on the Elbe, with buildings along the opposite bank
Dramatic sunset over Lake Erie in Ohio
Scarborough Bluffs rising above Lake Ontario in Toronto
Toronto skyline and CN Tower viewed across Lake Ontario in daylight

2003

Fehmarn Belt crossing

2006

Elbe River · 344 miles / 10 days

2012

Lake Constance · 36 hours

20+ years

Of open-water experience

Five lakes
No two challenges alike

Cold water, exposure and changing weather. Each lake demands its own route and operating plan.

Mission One
Lake Superior

In development for 2027: a staged endurance swim shaped by route planning, crew, safety systems and weather windows.

DISCOVER MISSION ONE
ARCHIVE · DEUTSCHE WELLE / EUROMAXX · 2012

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The swimmer behind the mission

Endurance swimmer. Mechanical engineer. Author. Kirsten Seidel combines open-water experience with technical thinking and disciplined preparation.

Not to prove that everything is possible — but to find out what truly is.

MEET KIRSTEN

More than a swim

Clarity under pressure

Staying clear and responsible when fatigue, pressure and uncertainty take hold.

Swim Against Cancer

Using the mission’s visibility to support children facing cancer - without replacing medicine or promising healing.

Discover the purpose →

Support the mission

Three ways to take part: sponsor a mile, support at any level, or discuss a partnership. Online payments are not available.

FLEXIBLE MISSION SUPPORT

Any amount

Support preparation, safety, crew and logistics across the five-year mission at an amount that suits you.

SUPPORT THE MISSION

SPONSOR A MILE

$300 / mile

Choose your number of miles. Each mile is a symbolic sponsorship unit supporting the wider five-year mission.

SPONSOR A MILE

BECOME A PARTNER

Corporate · Operational

Explore corporate sponsorship, equipment, vessels, logistics or technical support.

DISCUSS A PARTNERSHIP

Mission support helps fund the wider five-year program. SWIM AGAINST CANCER is its purpose; a separate cancer-specific contribution route is not active.

Wall of Supporters

A future Wall of Supporters may offer recognition by choice or anonymity. Names and amounts would appear only with explicit permission.

Five lakes · Five chapters

01

Lake Superior

02

Lake Michigan

03

Lake Huron

04

Lake Erie

05

Lake America

Follow the mission
from the beginning

Preparation, decisions, setbacks and progress.
The story starts long before the first stroke.

FOLLOW MISSION ONE
SUPPORT THE MISSION

Support inquiries are open. Online payments are not available.