Laurie Smith (left) and her niece Aya Keteri are all smiles after completing the Mackinac Bridge Swim on the shores of St. Ignace at the end of July. (Photo submitted)

ST. IGNACE — Not many people can say they have swum the Straits of the Mackinac. However, for 16-year-old Aya Keteri and her aunt Laurie Smith, it has already been checked off their bucket lists.

The duo did the 4.5-mile Mackinac Bridge Swim at the end of July. They were among more than 250 swimmers who braved the connecting waters of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron to raise money for a good cause.

“It is a charity event that raises money for first responders at the Mackinaw City and St. Ignace Fire Departments,” said organizer Eric Hansen.

This was his fourth year as the self-described “splash coordinator.”

The event raised around $100,000 according to Hansen.

Swimmers swim south to north starting in Mackinaw City and straddle the side of the bridge towards St. Ignace. That equates to more than two-and-a-half hours of open-water swimming.

While this was Keteri’s first time swimming the bridge, this was Smith’s fourth. Smith was quick to point out that there is a big difference between swimming in a pool and the Great Lakes.

“It is like the difference between 18-holes of golf and mini golf,” she quipped. “There is no black line (on the bottom of the pool), and it feels like you are swimming sideways as you battle the current and wind. Thankfully, we had ideal conditions this year as the water was calm and a perfect 68 degrees.”

Smith said she asked her niece if she would like to train with her for this annual event in the dead of winter. Keteri is no stranger to swimming, as she has been a member of the Houghton High School swim team for the past two years. She said yes, and the two started prepping for this distance swim in the 25-meter pool at the natatorium at Michigan Tech. The Mackinac swim is around 6,686 meters — a slight difference.

As winter finally broke and lakes began to thaw, they braved the waters of Love Lake and then Twin Lakes for longer swims starting in June and July, where they battled seaweed and murky conditions, according to Keteri.

“We would do a mile and then worked our way up to three miles,” said Keteri. “The biggest difference is there are no markings in the lake, so it is hard to know if you are going straight or not. It is very much a mental challenge.”

Smith said the Mackinac swim is best tackled in three phases. The first is from the start to the south tower of the bridge – around 1.5 miles. Then comes the tower-to-tower section which is .75 miles and has a current or pull to it. The home stretch is the a little more than two miles from the north tower to the finish line.

“We stuck together,” said Smith. “I had programmed my watch to check in with Aya every 500 yards, and she was right there with me.”

Keteri said once she got in the water, she was in her zone — taking it one stroke at a time.

“It was really nice,” she noted. “You could see the bottom at the start. Once we got to the tower-to-tower section, it was not as rough as I thought. Then it was smooth sailing, and once I saw the bottom again, I knew we were close to land.”

Keteri was among the youngest of the participants. According to Hansen, the age range among this year’s swimmers was 16-81, and, miraculously, everyone finished.

Smith said that she was impressed with her niece’s stamina.

“Aya is very mentally tough for a 16-year-old,” said Smith, “and you have to be to swim in open waters.”

Keteri said she is ready for the next open-water challenge. She has been bitten by the bug.

“This opened up a whole new world of swimming for me,” she said. “We are talking about swimming around Mackinac Island — stay tuned.”