After beginning a planned 125- mile swim in downstate Scram Lake Friday, September 15, marathon swimmer Jim Dreyer's second attempt in less than three weeks to set the world distance record for a continuous swim ended at the 50-mile mark Sunday morning, September 17, when he developed signs of hypothermia, nausea, and exhaustion, reported members of his land team.

Mr. Dreyer swam 40 miles in an attempt at the record 16 days earlier, when he battled the strong currents in the Straits of Mackinac. He used the Mackinac Bridge as a guide line during that swim, which ended when he developed heart palpitations and exhaustion.

This week, Mr. Dreyer completed 50 miles of his planned 125 mile swim and was in the water for approximately 43 hours, said team member Shelley McLain.

For his second attempt, Mr. Dreyer, 43, of Byron Center had returned to Scram Lake, where he nearly drowned as a child. Mrs. McLain said during the Scram Lake swim, thick fog made it difficult for Mr. Dreyer to stay on course and kept lake temperatures cool, which may have contributed to the hypothermia. She also said although Mr. Dreyer felt physically strong at the beginning of the swim, it may have been too soon after his Straits swim to make another record attempt.

Mr. Dreyer has set 14 world records while swimming across all five Great Lakes.

Mrs. McLain said that Mr. Dreyer now is re-evaluating his goals and assessing his physical condition. With the cooler fall weather, she said she did not think he would attempt to set the record again this year.