There was a point in Elaine Howley’s 34-mile swim along the length of Lake Pend Oreille when she thought she wouldn’t make it. With about six miles left to go, the 35-year-old marathon swimmer had battled choppy waters and was beginning to feel the limits of her strength. She told her husband, Mark Howley, she didn’t know if she had those last six miles in her. He told her he thought she did. Several more hours of swimming and Howley’s own determination would prove her husband correct. Exhausted yet victorious, she emerged from the waters of Lake Pend Oreille just before 4:30 p.m. Thursday to cheers and applause from a crowd of onlookers. As the first person to swim the length of Lake Pend Oreille, she achieved her goal with a final time of 20 hours, 25 minutes and 55 seconds. “I think it’s spectacular,” said Cindy Aase, who hosted the Howleys at her home. “It’s never been done before, and I’m thrilled it was done by a woman”/Cameron Rasmusson, Daily Bee. More here. (Facebook photo, of Elaine Howley)

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