Do something big and scary
The Liz Perri Memorial Scholarship aims to inspire and reward swimmers who, like Liz, pursue the challenges, thrills, and fears of open water swimming for its wild beauty and transformative power.
After watching swimmers, including her daughter, Anne, conquer the 2023 Mackinac Bridge Swim from her position as a volunteer kayaker, Liz set a bold goal: to complete the 2024 Swim in celebration of her 75th birthday.
Liz was no stranger to big athletic pursuits, she competed in Ironman 70.3 triathlons in her 60’s and 70’s, including two World Championships. But open water swimming was the scary part for Liz, and challenging herself to swim the 5 miles across the the Mackinac Straits embodied her lifelong pursuit of courage and formidable challenges.
In preparing for the event, Liz dedicated herself to rigorous training throughout the year.
She worked closely with a swim coach, leaned on support from friends in the Ann Arbor Triathlon Club, and exchanged encouraging notes with family. Despite her training, the open water remained daunting as the swim approached. To manage her anxiety, she embraced mindfulness practices and kept a swim journal, where she wrote a simple but powerful mantra: 'I can DO THIS'—a phrase she repeated during moments of doubt and panic in the water.
Tragically, Liz passed away following a bike accident just four days before the 2024 Mackinac Bridge Swim.
To honor her memory, swimmers attached remembrance tags to their buoys, and her daughter completed the swim as her participant #29 in tribute.
To further honor Liz’s memory, the Mackinac Bridge Swim will generously donate one free entry to a selected swimmer who demonstrates an ‘I can DO THIS’ mindset, despite obstacles and fears.
Visit the Mackinac Bridge Swim website to learn more about this bucket list swim of a lifetime and then come back here and ask yourself:
