Carolyn Lewis isn't promising to set any world records in the pool in Sunday's 24th annual Prince George Iceman.
Those days are behind her now.
But when she was in her athletic prime, Lewis briefly owned the world's fastest time in the 1,500-metre freestyle. She set it when she was a teenager, a few years after she came within a whisker of winning a bronze medal in the 400 freestyle at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki.
At the urging of her 10-year-old grandson Eric Orlowsky, who just became old enough for the Iceman this year, Carolyn, 78, decided to come to Prince George to complete a three-generation family team for the Iceman. The team also includes 15-year-old Ivan Orlowsky, Eric's brother, their 53-year-old father John Orlowsky and his wife, Kathy Lewis, 51, the eight-time Iceman women's overall champion.
"I'm delighted for the boys, it's the first time they've ever been in the same relay," said Carolyn, who lives with her husband Alan in Vancouver. "I'm not thinking too much about winning, I'm just hoping to have a good time."
Kathy will handle the lead leg of the multi-sport endurance race, an eight-kilometre cross-country ski at Otway Nordic Centre, then hand off the timing chip to her husband John, who will run 10km to the outdoor ice oval at Exhibition Park. Eric will skate 5km at the rink, then pass off to Ivan, who will run a 5km loop through a residential south to the Aquatic Centre, where his grandmother will be waiting for him for what will be a 670m swim.
Carolyn stays active as a swimmer in Vancouver and has been ramping up that activity, knowing she's in for a race. She used to ice skate when she lived in New Jersey, but has no desire to follow in her daughter's footsteps as a solo Icewoman. While proud of her own swimming accomplishments, she downplays her glory days in the pool.
"I managed to hold me own," she said. "I never really had a world record. I broke one, but somebody else broke mine right after that. I had been training for the 1956 [Olympic] Games but I lost interest in swimming. I was starting to build a camp for kids and I really wanted to be a teacher."
She ended up getting her wish, teaching phys-ed at the University of Miami and, later, at an elementary school.
John has competed on an Iceman team several times, while Ivan twice won silver as part of junior team.
"Iceman has been such a big part of our family for 20 years, and it's kind of neat to share it with Kathy's mom," John said. "She's excited about it and I've been teasing her about her accomplishments, but she doesn't make a big deal about it. When I asked her about the world record, she said she only had it for two or three weeks. If it were me, I'd tell everyone about it for the rest of my life."
John has never attempted the ski leg but has finished all of the other events. His least favourite event is the swim.
"It's always crowded by the time I get there," John said. "It always seems there someone slower than you in front of you and someone faster behind you trying to go over your back.
"I can classic ski, but those are the people who come in last, I have a bit of pride," he joked. "The 10K [run] terrifies me. I know it's going to be a grunt. My goal is the same every year -- to do my run faster than my age. But I feel I get two minutes slower every year."
Kathy skied in the team event 16 years ago while pregnant with Ivan and also helped guide blind solo competitor Chris Dittman. She knows the race better than anyone and has been plotting strategies with her kids.
"We've been going over the 5km route so Ivan doesn't get lost on it," Kathy said. "Even though it's marked, there doesn't tend to be people on the route directing. Eric has been practicing on the rink [with the Prince George Blizzard Speed Skating Club].
"I've done the ski before but I didn't like it," added Ivan. "I almost got lost three times."
Said Eric: "I'm a little nervous, just because I haven't done it before."
Carolyn has had knee replacement surgery and will have to climb out of the pool at the halfway point of her race to go back to the other side of the pool to start swimming lengths again.
"She swims like a fish, but that first step climbing out of the pool is pretty high, so that will be a challenge for her getting out and across the bulkhead," said Kathy. "That's the only part we're worried about. There's no pressure on her to do a great time, I just want her to have fun."
Carolyn completed the Iceman swim years ago, as part of a team that included her son-in-law, while her daughter Kathy was winning one of her solo titles. At the time, Kathy was also heavily involved in organizing the race as committee chair and race director for 14 years, a volunteer duty she passed on in 2007.
"You like to see your kids accomplish things, particularly things they are interested in," Carolyn said.
"I like the outdoor business -- this is a very unique event and what makes it really special is all the volunteers. It's a small city getting behind an event that gives people a chance to do something unique."
The Lewis-Orlowsky team will be among 621 entrants in Sunday's race. The race starts Sunday at 10 a.m. Race packages will be available for pickup today at the Civic Centre from 5-7 p.m.
