I signed up for Ironman Wisconsin '04 in September 2003, barely able to thrash 25 yards in a pool and never having been in open water without a life jacket. I joined a health club with a pool and began adult swimming lessons in October. The instructors who taught the lessons were nice kids who tried to help, but a 2.4 mile open water swim was beyond their experience and I had difficulty learning basic stroke and breathing techniques from them.

By January 2004, I'd had three months of these lessons, but was making little progress. I found Mark through a referral and began individual lessons with him that month. Given my utter lack of skills; I suspect my goal looked unreasonable to him, but he never let his doubts show.

Through the spring I saw Mark weekly in the pool, and switched to his weekly open water group swim sessions in late May. The open water sessions were great! I looked forward to the camaraderie of the other swimmers. The open water skills and learning to swim with contact with other people were invaluable lessons. With Mark's encouragement (sometimes gentle and sometimes not) I made gains. Finally, in July, the swim began to come together.

Our group swim was in and around the Ironman swim course every week for several weeks before the race. Mark guided us through the course and the way the water moves there. His final advice to each of us was where we should place ourselves among the thousands of other athletes in the water for the mass swim start, based on our ability. When race day arrived, I was confident that I knew as much as I could have learned about that swim. I was ready, and I was calm.

On race day, the swim was a joy. I grinned like an idiot for the last half mile (try that with your face in the water). Without Mark, quite simply, I could not have done it. His patience, expertise, and prodding turned what was my biggest obstacle to finishing the race into what it should be: a warm-up for a very long day.

I recommend him to you without reservation.