BURLINGTON, Ontario, July 21 (UPI) -- Five Canadian women say they are gearing up for a record-setting marathon relay swim across the length of Lake Ontario.
The women plan to start the relay at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, The Toronto Star reported.
"So many people have said, 'You guys are nuts. You guys are crazy,'" says Nicole Mallette, one of the five swimmers. "We know what we're up against."
Mallette, 47, will be making the 189.5-mile journey from Kingston to Burlington with Samantha Whiteside, 23, Rebekah Boscariol, 18, Mona Sharari, 18, and Colleen Shields, 61.
Should the women complete the marathon, they will be the first to cross the length of Lake Ontario; 58 people have successfully crossed the lake from north to south, or south to north, including all five women participating in the lengthwise marathon.
"I'm excited to be part of something that has never been done before," Boscariol said
The women are looking to raise $300,000 for the Because I am a Girl project, a global gender equality, anti-poverty and girls' rights initiative. On Friday, they had raised about $5,000.
The swim is expected to take the women five days and four nights.
