Vicki Keith is still the only person to conquer Lake Huron.
Lesley Burton-Zehr pulled the plug on her Lake Huron crossing attempt around 9 p.m. Saturday night.
Cold waters hovering near 17 degrees Celsius and rising waves ultimately proved too much for the ultra marathon swimmer.
Conditions were ideal for the 75 km journey from Harbour Beach Michigan to Goderich when the Wingham native left the U.S. 5:30 Saturday morning.
But just shy of the halfway point,16 hours into her swim, mother nature overpowered the 30 year old who now calls Waterloo home.
Burton-Zehr had planned to swim across Lake Huron in 2013, but lake conditions scuttled those plans before she could even get in the water.
While she is obviously disappointed she couldn't complete the crossing, Burton-Zehr still calls the attempt a huge success.
"There were lots of challenges out there. Freighters, boat mechanical issues, but we pulled through. It was a great journey. I'm proud of the team and it was amazing," Burton Zehr says.
She raised over $10,000 for the Lifesaving Society to promote drowning prevention and awareness.
Burton-Zehr says she isn't planning another lake crossing
