Zane Hodge will be celebrating his 61st birthday this week.
As he has done annually since 2012, the marathon swimmer from Greenwood plans to mark the occasion with a long-distance swim to bring awareness to the disease of diabetes.
The Chicot Challenge is tentatively set for Saturday in Lake Chicot, Arkansas, weather permitting.
If thunderstorms hit the area, as are presently predicted in the long-range forecast, an alternative date for the event will be announced.
“I don’t mind rain. In fact, swimming in the rain is glorious,” Hodge said. “I don’t like lightning. I don’t want anybody getting hurt out there.”
As in recent years, Hodge has partnered with the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi to help raise funds for the foundation’s outreach and educational efforts.
Hodge has set a personal goal of raising $3,000 this year. As of Monday, $1,300 has come in.
Although not a diabetic himself, the condition runs in his family. Also Hodge, an English instructor at Mississippi Delta Community College’s Greenwood branch, has said he got focused on the disease after seeing some of his students already suffering from it at a relatively young age.
With each successive Chicot Challenge, Hodge has increased the distance. The first challenge covered 13.94 miles. Last year’s was 22.38 miles. This year’s pre-measured course is 23.5 miles and is expected to take about 13 hours to complete.
It will be documented by the Marathon Swimmers Federation for the first time, Hodge said.
Since the course is “landmark-based,” it is repeatable if someone wishes to do so, he said.
The swim will follow “English Channel” rules, in which the swimmer “can’t touch the bottom, can’t touch the boat, can’t touch anybody,” Hodge said.
Hodge’s wife, Penny, will be in a pontoon boat that will follow Hodge and a flotilla of kayakers, among them Gerald and Debbie Johnson, Sheila Mitchell, Justin Nunnery and Jerry Johnson.
Kelsey Staples — a marathon swimmer from Atlanta — will serve as the official observer of the swim.
Hodge said his wife is in charge of nutrition for the kayakers, who is turn supply some of it to Hodge as he swims.
The nutrition is melted vanilla ice cream, Luvel brand.
Hodge raises some funds for the foundation through the sale of T-shirts. “A lot of people just send money,” he said.
Proceeds from the swim will go to Camp Kando, Mississippi’s only camp for children with diabetes and their families. Operated by the state Diabetes Foundation, the camp is located near Florence.
Kaitlan Sudduth Alford, communications coordinator for the foundation, emphasized that “everything raised or donated to the DFM stays in Mississippi to solely help our people.”
Hodge said donation checks, made payable to the Diabetes Foundation, may be mailed to his residence at 333 W. Monroe Ave., Greenwood, MS 38930.
A Facebook page for the swim has been set up at Chicot Challenge VI.
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
