Triathlete embarks on historic swim try

Emily von Jentzen is ready to make history today.

At 4 a.m. she was to begin her quest to become the first woman ever to swim the length of Flathead Lake.

Only two men have accomplished the feat: Paul Stelter in 1988 and Ron Stevens in 2005.

Von Jentzen, a 27-year-old triathlete and recently hired Flathead County deputy attorney, expects to finish the swim in about 15 hours.

Her plan was to begin at Somers Bay and finish at Boettcher Park near the Polson golf course.

She will swim under USA Open Water rules that stipulate a swimmer can’t touch any support boat, flotation device or other swimmers.

Von Jentzen is doing the swim as a fundraiser for 3-year-old Karmyn Flanagan of Missoula, who has acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Donations may be sent to von Jentzen’s Missoula post-office box: P.O. 3601, Missoula MT 59803.

The longtime swimmer has been blogging about her preparation to conquer the 27.3-mile length of Flathead Lake. Her last post captured the anticipation:

“Excited! Nervous! Ready to go!”

Readers can learn more about von Jentzen’s training for the Flathead swim on her blog: http://50kforkarmyn.blogspot.com