In the open water, the distances are long; the effort is exhausting. Lorelei Schmidt thinks about quitting frequently. It would be easy, expected even, considering the difficulty she faces.
The 16-year-old is small and insignificant compared to the whims of the conditions around her. The boat traffic, the marine life and the cold, unforgiving water of the ocean or lake is apathetic to her presence. Every swim, she pushes her body to its limit.
These aren’t like the laps in the Raleigh pools. Schmidt is not gliding through warm, chlorine-treated water in her 25-meter lane, racing other club teams at a swim meet and internalizing the commands of her Marlins of Raleigh coaches to move faster and faster. There are no walls confining her, no swimmers to beat. Just herself…