Bear Hugs Far Across Cayuga’s Waters, Alum Reprises Record Swim Four decades after Claire de Boer ’83, BS ’85, swam the lake’s length, she teamed up for a relay in another alum’s memory (Editor’s note: This story includes content from a feature in the Cornell Chronicle.) “Bear Hugs” celebrates heartwarming stories of Cornellians on the Hill and around the world. Have an idea? Email us at cornellians@cornell.edu! By Beth Saulnier When Claire de Boer ’83, BS ’85, switched from Arts & Sciences to Human Ecology as an undergrad, most of her credits transferred seamlessly. But there was one class—statistics—that she had to retake in summer 1984 to complete her degree. For de Boer, that requirement proved to have a silver lining—one unrelated to academia. “I had to be in Ithaca for an extra summer for that one course,” she recalls. “And that was fortuitous, because it gave me the time to train for and swim the lake.” That August, swim it she did: she traversed the 38-mile length of Cayuga Lake in 20 hours and 30 minutes—a solo record that still stands. De Boer emerges from the lake after her 1984 swim. Jump ahead more than four decades: to raise funds for a cause close to her heart, the lifelong swimming enthusiast has repeated the feat, albeit in relay form. In mid-August 2025, de Boer and a friend—both women in their 60s—swam Cayuga’s length in 19 hours and 32 minutes. “When I look back on it, it feels like it was a dream,” de Boer says, chatting with Cornellians a few days afterward. “It’s a bit of euphoria to think that we did that. It feels really nice, and a little sad that it’s over.” When I look back on it, it feels like it was a dream. It’s a bit of euphoria to think that we did that. For de Boer, swimming in the lake goes back to childhood: she grew up in Ithaca, daughter of longtime engineering professor Tobias de Boer. (A professor emeritus, he passed away in 2016 at age 85; Claire’s siblings Maarten ’81 and Yvette ’86, BS ’87, are also alums.) Alexandra Bayer / Cornell UniversityA summer 2025 training swim. De Boer swam competitively at Ithaca High School, but joined the Big Red squad for just a single semester before switching her focus from the pool to open water. De Boer grew up in Ithaca, daughter of longtime engineering professor Tobias de Boer. Her summer 1984 feat—swimming Cayuga, the longest of the Finger Lakes, from north to south—made headlines, including a feature in the Ithaca Journal. After graduation, de Boer went on to a career as an arts and health administrator, raising a family and settling in picturesque Mount Gretna, PA. With family at her Commencement. And she has stayed active in her beloved sport, not only belonging to a dedicated swimming group but occasionally competing in meets and other events. The 2025 swim was a collaboration with friend and distance swimmer Bridgette Hobart—who had herself soloed the lake’s length in 2015, with a time just three minutes over de Boer’s record. (In fact, only four people—de Boer, Hobart, and two others—have ever officially completed end-to-end solo swims of Cayuga.) The swimmers were safeguarded by kayakers in support boats. “I’m incredibly grateful that my body can do this,” says de Boer, who’s a mother of two and grandmother of four. “I know it’s a gift, and I could just as easily be somebody who has had physical limitations, injuries, or illnesses and not be able to do it. So I felt almost a responsibility: ‘You can do this. Do it now.’” I’m incredibly grateful that my body can do this. I know it’s a gift. In addition to being a feat of athleticism and endurance, the women’s relay was aimed to spur donations to the Sophie Fund, a local nonprofit that supports mental health initiatives for young people in Ithaca and Tompkins County. The organization was founded in memory of Sophie Hack MacLeod ’14, an AAP student who took her own life in 2016 while on medical leave from Cornell. The cause is personal for de Boer and Hobart, who have each lost nephews to suicide. De Boer wades into the water—and more than 19 hours later, the swimmers emerge. (While their fundraiser has topped its $25,000 goal, donations are still open.) On the weekend of the relay, predictions of gusty winds prompted the swimmers to reverse their planned direction: they went from south to north, beginning in Ithaca rather than finishing there. At times, conditions were still challenging, with three-foot swells, 20-mph winds, and temperatures that dropped into the 50s. At times, conditions were challenging, with three-foot swells, 20-mph winds, and temperatures that dropped into the 50s. Per regulations governing such events, the women didn’t wear wetsuits; each relay interval had to be the same—they chose an hour—with one swimmer resting in a support boat while the other was in the water. “You get as warm as you can, you take some liquid and some calories, and your rest turn is over,” de Boer says. “There’s sometimes a little catnap, but it’s pretty quick.” De Boer (left) and Hobart are all smiles after their successful relay. Given that their odyssey lasted the better part of a day, much of it was done in the dark—with headlamps on their swim caps and lights on the support boats. “It’s a little disorienting—kind of like swimming in the sky, because you don’t really know where the sky ends and the water begins, except by feel,” de Boer observes. “But I love it, and Bridgette loves it too. And that night, we could have done the whole thing without lights, because the moon was so bright.” Top: De Boer during a training visit to Cayuga Lake in summer 2025. (Alexandra Bayer / Cornell University; all other images and video provided, unless otherwise indicated.) Published August 22, 2025 Comments Susan Rose-LaClair, Class of 1975 24 Aug, 2025 I grew up in Aurora, went to Cornell (graduated in 75), and always wanted to swim the width from where I lived, but never did. I greatly admire these two women. Reply Maarten de Boer, Class of 1981 24 Aug, 2025 Way to go, Claire and Bridgette! Reply Randolph Little (Randy), Class of 1962 26 Aug, 2025 Congratulations Claire on your epic swim. Across the lake has become more common, and an occasional swim from Stewart Park to Taughannock, but you have really raised the bar. Reply Danny Velez, Class of 1986 26 Aug, 2025 As a fellow Ithaca native, IHS Class of ‘82, and Cornell alum, Class of ‘86, I feel doubly inspired by this great feat. In fact, having read this story now, I think I’ll go for a run. Congratulations to Claire and Brigette! Keep on inspiring. Reply Marjolein van der Meulen 27 Aug, 2025 Great job, Claire! Your parents would love your Cayuga Lake swim version 2.0. Reply Elizabeth Billingsley, Class of 1984 29 Aug, 2025 So proud of this incredible woman!!! She makes a difference in this world ! Reply Don Betowski, Class of 1974 2 Sep, 2025 Claire’s father, Tob, was quite an athlete in his own right. Tob was often a running partner with me during our lunch hours. We were both members of the Finger Lakes Running Club and enjoyed running through the Cornell campus. Still, I cherish those runs with Tob. Reply Roger Remedios, Class of 1973 7 Sep, 2025 Fantastic job!! It is truly amazing …from a guy that swims across a pool and ends at the bottom when I touch. Also, to keep in that kind of condition after all these years is truly remarkable. Again, great job!!! 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