by Parnia Mazhar
Natalie Radtke was the only person swimming across the Catalina Channel for 20 miles straight last week. But this is no indication that she did it alone.
Fueled by a cause and the 25 people eager to greet her on shore, Radke glided through the 20 miles of ocean between Catalina Island to Palos Verdes, ultimately raising nearly $25,000 for leukemia and lymphoma society.
“I think this swim at first represented a personal goal but then morphed into something much bigger than that,” Radtke said. “My friends all got involved, and people who I didn’t even know  donated, so it was really important to me to give back by doing something where I could push myself out of my comfort zone.”
Radtke’s roommate Leanne Singleton was among those serving on the crew that helped make the swim possible. Singleton was on kayak duty, relaying directional guidance from the boat captain to help keep Radtke stay on target. Singleton and the kayakers also periodically passed food and water to Radtke to fuel the grueling feat.
Much of the swim took place in darkness, to cut down on wind-chop and competing ship traffic. But shortly after sunrise, a good omen appeared. The crew spotted hundreds of dolphins splashing right in Radtke’s path. Three or four of them fell back from the pod and began swimming alongside Radtke, as if to emphasize the special nature of the challenge.
“Not knowing what they were, just saw a bunch of things jumping out of the water, was a bit scary,” Singleton said. “But once you figure out what they are, it’s okay: dolphins are a good sign.”
Radtke is an endurance athlete, and has competed in two Iron Man competitions and the Los Angeles Marathon. As soon as the 26.2 mile run came to an end this February, Radtke began training for the swim, spending six days a week in both the pool and ocean.
But the solitude of a lengthy ocean swim presented new challenges.
“When training in the past, I had an entire team supporting me; the preparation for this swim was a lot more isolating because I was just swimming in the water by myself,” Radtke said. “So, things that had kept me motivated in the triathlon were no longer as prevalent in that regard.”
Looking to find a new source of motivation, Radtke found temporary comfort in singing the chorus of her favorite songs to herself. But what kept her going, was the sound of her crew chief’s voice as he periodically alerted her to the flood of donations, many coming before sunrise as people followed her quest on social media.
“During my swim my crew chief kept telling me how people were up all night, donating and supporting the event,” Radtke said. “Knowing that we were able to raise that much money for such a great cause was just exhilarating.”  Â
Radtke has been swimming since she was five years old. But she never anticipated that her passion could transform so many lives.
“When my buddy first suggested I do this swim, 20 miles seemed unfathomable,” Radtke said. “But with enough hard working and a diligent training program, it happened, and I could not be more grateful for the amazing impact it’s had.”
To donate to leukemia and lymphoa patients, click here. Reporting for this story contributed
