PROUD DADDY MOMENT: MIKE SHATTERS LAKE WASHINGTON SWIM RECORD
June 3, 2026
Birch Bay, Washington
Mike Hodel, age 49, has just broken—and “shattered” is probably the more accurate word—the long-standing Lake Washington swim record.
By swimming the 18.5-mile length of Lake Washington in an astonishing 8 hours and 24 minutes, Michael S. Hodel eclipsed the previous record of just over 10 hours.
Mike was a standout swimmer at Williams College (Class of 1999) and has maintained his love of the water over the past twenty-five years. These days, he balances family life, professional career, and a demanding training schedule that would exhaust most people half his age.
This summer, while traveling in England and Wales with his wife Joyce, his mother, Marsha, and their two children, Tucker, age 10, and Ella, age 8, Mike plans to attempt one of the world’s great endurance challenges: a swim across the English Channel from England to France.
The Channel crossing is only a few miles longer than Lake Washington, but presents far greater challenges—cold water, powerful tides, unpredictable weather, and open-sea conditions. More people have climbed Mount Everest than have successfully completed an English Channel swim.
To make his Lake Washington swim official, a certified observer accompanied him throughout the swim to ensure compliance with all rules and to verify the official time. In other words, no touching the escort boat, no shortcuts, and no excuses.
You can view a flyover of Mike’s record-breaking swim here:
https://strava.app.link/lhGriRbbG3b
When I asked Mike what was the hardest part of the 18.5-mile swim, he didn’t hesitate:
“It’s 80% mental. The other 20% is in your head.”
That answer didn’t surprise me. Mike has always possessed the determination required for difficult challenges. As a three-time Jeopardy! contestant, he’s proven he can handle the mental side of competition as well.
Congratulations to the new Lake Washington record holder, and best wishes for his upcoming English Channel attempt.
As his father, I am proud of the record.
More importantly, I am proud of the man who set it.
Father and son circa 2019
Mike and Steve, thanks for sharing this terrific story. I’ll be watching for your report on the Channel crossing!
Wow! Very cool!
‘Climb high … climb far .. your goal the sky .. your aim the star’
Congratulations on his record.
I could only imagine how much effort that took. When I was a teen, I swam about 3/4 of a mile at Lake Cocalala in Idaho and found it was hard so, one that is far longer would have likely killed me.
I wish him luck on the English Channel swim. He will likely be one of the finishers.