From staff reports
The husband of a former Oil City woman recently completed the 24.3 mile marathon swim from Long Point, Ontario, to Freeport Beach in North East.
Chris Fetcko, 41, of Erie, became the 18th male swimmer to accomplish the feat since its inception. Fetcko is married to the former Emily Gill, and she is the daughter of Frank and Nancy Gill of Oil City.
After boating to Long Point, Fetcko began swimming at 7 a.m. Monday, July 31, and he arrived in North East a grueling 15 hours later at 10 p.m.
Choppy waters and some difficult situations that added additional miles and time were reported by all three swimmers.
The event is sanctioned by the Lake Erie Open Water Swim Association and run by director Josh Heynes.
Donations can be made to Sister Gus’ Kids Cafe in Erie, which provides meals, clothes, school supplies, after-school and summer programs for 120 children ages 6 to 17. To donate, people can go to Swim Lake Erie For Kids Cafe on Fetcko’s Go Fund Me page.
Fetcko’s parents are Augie and Beverly Fetcko of North East.
