While lake life is a big part of being Minnesotan, few among us love it enough to swim 17 miles across the water for fun.
Seth Baetzold, a 29-year-old from Maplewood, recently made that happen when he set out to swim the 17.3 miles across Lake Mille Lacs from Cove Bay to Wealthwood.
His paddle across Lake Mille Lacs is not the first big open water swim Baetzold has completed. In fact, he’s swam across dozens of open bodies of water all over the world.
In Minnesota alone, Baetzold swam 24 miles of the St. Croix River, across Lake Minnetonka, down the Red River and took part in a relay race in Lake Superior.
“I can’t wait to swim in even more bodies of water throughout Minnesota, even the world,” Baetzold said.
His love of swimming started from a young age and his parent’s history as competitive swimmers.
“My parents were competitive swimmers and they (brought) me through swimming lessons for safety,” Baetzold said. “As I got older, I joined these swim clubs and started swimming in lakes. Living in Minnesota with thousands of lakes around, I just loved swimming in the lakes.”