Man to swim circumference of Greenwood Lake on July 1

On July 1, endurance athlete and coach Aleksander “Aleks”Joshua Mileusnić will attempt what is believed to be the first complete swim circumnavigation of Greenwood Lake, at 10 a.m. on July 1.

The challenge will cover nearly 11.5 miles (18.5 kilometers), equivalent to around 750 lengths of a 25-meter swimming pool, around the lake, beginning and ending at Cove Castle Restaurant at the southern end of the New York half of Greenwood Lake. The swim is expected to take approximately eight continuous hours, raising awareness and funds for NYU Langone Hospital.

It all started with a friend who grew up on Greenwood Lake.

Mileusnić, 31, is from Chorley, Lancashire, a town situated between Liverpool and Manchester in the North West of England.

“My mother is English and my father is Serbian, which explains my slightly challenging surname,” he said, “As a child, I swam competitively for Stevenage Swimming Club, regularly, representing both my club and hometown alongside my younger brother.”

As an adult, Mileusnić specialized in the marathon and ultra-marathon swimming, regularly taking part in long-distance open water challenges. He coaches open water swimmers through The Cold Water Method, a Lancashire-based program specializing in cold water adaptation, acclimatization, and endurance swimming.

Mileusnić shared how he was approached by Garrett Gardner, a local New Jersey musician and Robert “Bobby” Pereira, the owner of Cove Castle Restaurant, with the idea to swim the lake.

“[They] approached me with the idea of attempting a long-distance swim of the lake to help raise awareness of Greenwood Lake, its local businesses and community, and most importantly NYU Langone Hospital and pediatric heart disease, which the proceeds from this swim will directly support,” Mileusnić said.

Gardner said, “The first time me and Aleks met was under very unique circumstances. The day we met was the same day we moved into a house in Amsterdam, as singers signed to a major record label. We quickly became very good friends and over the year we lived together, he became one of my best friends and remains so over 10 years later even though we live on different continents. I’ve always known Aleks is a very determined person. However when he told me he was going to swim the [English] Channel, my mind was a bit blown. Physically, It’s literally harder to do that than climb Mount Everest. Even just driving around.”

Greenwood Lake came to mind.

“I can’t believe he’s going to swim a circle around it,” Gardner said, “And it is literally only half of the English Channel distance. It’s going to be quite the sight to behold and I’m happy I was able to help arrange this. It will be the first time we have see each other in over seven years, not to mention capping it off with a performance together at The Cove Castle, our first official performance together in over 10 years.”

Mileusnić said, “For me personally, it is a great honor to be welcomed to the United States to take part in such a worthwhile cause. I will also be representing The Cold Water Method and our community of swimmers in Lancashire, showcasing what our members are capable of achieving and, hopefully, inspiring more people to discover open water swimming as a sport, a source of well-being, and a form of recreation.”

Then there is the record.

“It is also my understanding that there has never been an officially recorded circumnavigation swim of Greenwood Lake,” he said, “To have my name symbolically connected to the lake in this way is both humbling and deeply meaningful.”

The swim will be conducted under traditional open water marathon swimming rules. This means he is not permitted to touch the support boat, receive physical assistance, leave the water at any point, or wear a wetsuit. The swim will be completed in standard swimwear only and entirely under his own power. He will be adhering strictly to these rules throughout the attempt.

Due to factors such as navigation, wind, currents, weather conditions, and the natural challenges of open water swimming, the actual distance covered is likely to be closer to 20 to 25 kilometers.

Throughout the swim, Mileusnić will be accompanied by a support boat to ensure safety.

Vantage points to view the swim are available around the lake.