First attempt undone by frigid waters and jellyfish
Jen Alexander was to start her 22-hour, three-province swim at 2 a.m. today, hopeful the jellyfish that thwarted her last attempt don’t stop her this time.
In July, her marathon swim from Nova Scotia to New Brunswick to P.E.I. was stopped after 13.5 hours because of persistent vomiting. Alexander blamed it on the 60-plus jellyfish stings she suffered, along with ingesting too much salt water, inhaling boat fumes and hypothermia-induced shivering.
“We’ll face fewer jellies, and have warmer water, but we’ll also have a minefield of lobster-trap buoys to avoid,” she said on her blog. “I’ve never (dodged buoys) before, so I have no idea how well we’ll fare.”
Alexander, 33, is doing the epic 32-kilometre trek to raise awareness of type 1 (“juvenile”) diabetes, which she has had for 20 years. She’ll pause every 30 minutes to tread water while she tests her blood sugar and manages her insulin levels
