Think you can swim the Floyd River? These people do

Angela Loutsch and Ben Beitelspacher put up the Swim the Floyd map at Le Mars' indoor pool. Swimmers are taking the challenge to swim enough laps to total 46 miles -- half the length of the Floyd River, which runs from northeast of Sheldon to Sioux City. [Click to enlarge]

That didn't stop locals from swimming their way down the Floyd River.

The swimmers aren't actually doing the front crawl in the river water -- they're doing laps in Le Mars' indoor pool as part of a program designed by the Le Mars Family YMCA.

Each lap gets the swimmers closer to their goal of the whole river.

From beginning to end, the Floyd River runs about 92 miles through northwest Iowa.

For every mile in the pool, swimmers get to mark 1 mile on a map of the river route, according to YMCA Aquatic Director Angela Loutsch. That means a total of 46 swimming miles.

One mile in the pool is 72 lengths of the pool, or 36 laps. Each lap is 50 yards.

Julie Hurt, of Le Mars, recently took up swimming again and joined the program.

Lately she's been swimming 60-70 laps a day, three times a week.

She thinks the "Swim the Floyd" program is a good way to motivate people.

"It's kind of a challenge to see how far I can get," she said.

She's not the only one.

In fact, Two people have already finished swimming the river.

Mikkel TeBrink finished first, less than 15 days after the program began on Oct. 20.

"That's 16,056 laps in two weeks," Loutsch said.

Theresa Nordstrom swam her way to the end four days later.

"People have been pushing themselves a little more physically," Loutsch said. "Some people who said, 'I never thought I could swim a mile in one session,' are starting to realize they can handle a little larger amount."

The Floyd River's length gives swimmers something tangible to aim for, she said.

"In the pool you're just going back and forth, back and forth," Loutsch said. "If you unravel that and put it end to end, it makes more of a physical goal. I don't think they realized what their distance was adding up to."

Swimmers record their laps and turn them in, then Loutsch marks their progress on a Floyd River map, courtesy of Wayne Schlotfeldt. The map is posted by the pool.

"I hear people saying, 'I want to get to Sioux Center this weekend,'" Loutsch said. "They have a tangible, realistic destination."

Loutsch designed the program after the second annual Le Mars Sprint Triathlon in September.

"We saw a real big increase in lap swimmers leading up to the triathlon and when we moved to the indoor pool after the triathlon, they kept coming," Loutsch said.

After a big exercise push, she said, an exercise dry spell often follows.

"I wanted to help motivate them to keep coming and not hit that dry spell," Loutsch said. "I wanted to give them a long-term project."

Loutsch first looked into having swimmers go the length of other rivers, but couldn't find one the right length. Then she realized the answer was right in Le Mars' back yard.

"The Floyd River runs right through here," she said. "We're on it."

So "Swim the Floyd" was born.

Swimmers in the program range from 18 years old to in their 60s.

People can still join the "Swim the Floyd."

A $10 fee covers entry. Non-YMCA members must also pay the regular $2 lap swim.

"We're looking for possible co-sponsors so we can make T-shirts," Loutsch added.

Loutsch is planning a similar swim program next year, possibly with a few changes. Swimmers may be divided into novice and advanced sections and the route may be a different river.

Lap swim at the indoor pool runs from 6-8 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and there is one lap lane available during the 4-7 p.m. open swim time.

Swimmers record their laps and turn them in, then Loutsch marks their progress on a Floyd River map, courtesy of Wayne Schlotfeldt. The map is posted by the pool.