Thinking on his feet helps LaFleur win 95th annual Goguac Lake Swim
Of course, the annual Goguac Lake Swim is about swimming.
But it is also about thinking on your feet – literally – if you want to win.
In the lead pack, coming up to the end of the race, Justin LaFleur was the first swimmer to get to his feet and start running to the finish line, giving him the edge and the 2022 championship at the 95th annual Goguac Lake Swim on Saturday.
"I was thinking, I am so close, I could get first place. So I figured, I had to get up and run and go for it," said LaFleur. "Last year I finished third, so coming back this year, I was shooting for first.
"Swimming in the lake is much different than swimming in the pool. The water is heavier, you are basically swimming blind because of the waves. You just have to go for it."
LaFleur, who will be a senior at Harper Creek High School in the fall, finished in a time 25:03 to win the men's division. Daniel Borozan, 15, who will be a junior at Lakeview, was second in the men's division and third overall at 25:10.
Finishing second overall and first in the women's division was 13-year-old Lillian Mahar, who basically was swimming stroke for stroke with the leader coming around the final buoy before LaFleur jumped up to run first, beating her by three seconds at 25:06.
Mahar, whose father Paul Mahar is a Battle Creek Central graduate and swim coach in Kalamazoo, is a nationally-ranked swimmer in her age group and will be a freshman at Loy Norrix in the fall.
"This was my first time doing it, just doing it for fun really. But, then near the end, I was thinking I could win," Mahar said. "I was close, but I couldn't get up to my feet quick enough, didn't really know I should run at that point."
Experience might have helped Mahar in that instance.
That wasn't an issue for 60-year-old Jane Esahak-Gage, who finished third in the women's division, coming in right after last year's female champ in second-place Grace Hudson.
Esahak-Gage, who now lives in Arizona, won the Goguac Lake Swim in back-to-back years in 2017-18 when she was 56 and also won it three times in a row when she was in high school at Lakeview in the 1970s.
"I came back again to do it because I wanted to do it at 60 years old," said Esahak-Gage, whose husband was chanting 10 more years as she was answering the question. "I hope to come back again next year, it's fun. It feels a little bit different swimming it now then when I was 16, for sure. I just try to stay ahead of everyone in the swim part, because once I see those kids start to run, oh, my gosh, it's hard for me to keep up with them."
After COVID concerns interrupted the race in 2020, and seeing a smaller group compete in 2021, this year's race was back to pre-COVID numbers.
"This was a great turnout, better numbers than before COVID even with 155 swimmers," said Battle Creek YMCA Chief Executive Officer Jill Hinde. "I think the weather helped and I think people are just looking to be outside and have fun.
"This is a tradition in Battle Creek, going back to when Leroy Sparks first started it. It's a longtime summer event and we are thrilled to have this many people out for it."
95th Annual Goguac Lake Swim Results
Age group winners: 1.5-Mile Race
Overall male winner: Justin LaFleur, 25:03
Overall female winner: Lillian Mahar, 25:06
Male 10-under: H. Davis, 43.28
Male 11-14: Major Baumann, 29:55
Female 11-14: Camille Rojas, 30:25
Male 15-19: Daniel Borozan, 25:10
Female 15-19: Grace Hudson, 26:55
Male 20-29: Drew Deppner, 30:01
Female 20-29: Alysa Wager, 31:19
Male 30-39: Andrew McFee, 30:31
Female 30-39: Sarah Bednarcik, 28:03
Male 40-49: Jared Cavis, 33:41
Female 40-49: Meredith Hawkins, 34:00
Male 50-59: Kurt Christensen, 30:37
Female 50-59: Corrin Buck, 30:57
Male 60-69: George Esahak-Gage, 33:57
Female 60-69: Jane Esahak-Gage, 27:09
Male 70-over: Dick Hastings, 38:00
Female 70-over: Mary Younker, 49:54
750 meter race
Male overall: Diego Rojas, 13:58
Female overall: Liza Montgomery, 14:34
Contact Bill Broderick at bbroderi@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on Twitter @billbroderick.
This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Harper Creek High senior Justin LaFleur wins 95th annual Goguac Lake Swim
