Diane Struble, first person to swim the 32-mile length of Lake George in 1958, will  once again be bringing international attention to the area. She is being  posthumously inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame  (IMSHOF, www.imshof.org) with a ceremony to be held at Fordham University,  NYC, on May 6, 2023.  

Struble was a trailblazing swimmer in the late 1950s, after completing two first-ever swims  of 32.7 km across Lake Champlain and the 51.8 km length of Lake George. Diane was  the eighth swimmer to circle Manhattan Island – 30 years after the seventh swimmer, and completed a 20-mile Boston Harbor swim. A single mother of three young children,  she received considerable media attention. An estimated 10,000 people (including  spectators in 200 boats) witnessed her Lake George swim, for which she received  $25,000 (in 2022 value). She appeared on USA popular television shows: “The Today  Show,” “I’ve Got a Secret,” “To Tell the Truth,” and “What’s My Line,” and became an  inspiration to a generation of women and aspiring athletes.  

Diane swam around Manhattan using the breaststroke and without a cap, adding to her  spectator appeal.

On this 65th Anniversary of Diane Struble’s pioneering  swim of Lake George, Wiawaka Center for Women will hold an annual week-long  event to honor Lake George swimmers, from August 21-25, 2023. The theme,  “Strong Women Inspire Me (S.W.I.M.), honors Diane Struble’s legacy of inspiring others to follow their dreams. For more information and the  calendar of events for S.W.I.M. week, go to www.wiawaka.org.  

For more information about Diane Struble’s life and accomplishments, visit The  Lake George Historical Association’s newly curated, ‘Called by the Water’ Room.  See also, a book written by Diane’s daughter, Gwenne Rippon: “Called by the  Water – When Diane Struble Swam Lake George.” Published by the LGHA with a grant from the Touba Family Foundation, the book is available through the LGHA  website, www.lakegeorgehistorical.org

Photo courtesy of https://lakegeorgechamber.com/blog/looking-back-on-diane-struble-the-first-person-to-swim-the-length-of-lake-george-8-28-2020/