A Cross-Generational Family Swim: A Heartwarming Record of Completing the Sun Moon Lake Swim with 70-Year-Old Parents

Introduction

The year my father turned 70, I asked him what he wanted to do. He was silent for a moment, then said, “That Sun Moon Lake you mentioned before—can you take us to try it?”

My mother chimed in from the side, “I loved swimming when I was young, but I stopped after I married your father. It’s been almost forty years since I last swam.”

That conversation was the beginning of it all. Bringing 70-year-old parents into Sun Moon Lake was not a hasty decision—it required careful safety assessments, gradual physical preparation, and a commitment from the entire family to invest together. But in the end, on that morning, the three of us swam across Sun Moon Lake side by side, and it was one of the most memorable mornings of my life.

Assessment and Decision

Before officially starting the preparation, I spent a month on assessment, including:

Baseline Physical Fitness Assessment

My father’s controlled hypertension was the point requiring the most careful evaluation. We took him to his family doctor for a full assessment. The doctor said low-intensity swimming was not contraindicated for patients with controlled hypertension, but recommended carrying an inflatable buoy at all times and avoiding hyperventilation.

Once we confirmed it was safe and feasible, we set a three-month preparation period.

Three Months of Joint Preparation

Month One: Rebuilding Swimming Memory

One family swimming session per weekend. I played the role of “son-coach,” accompanying my parents as they slowly rediscovered the feel of the water at the community pool.

My mother reacquired her breaststroke technique much faster than my father—she said, “My body still remembers, but my brain thought it had forgotten.” That sentence made me think for a long time. The body’s memory is more durable than we think.

My father’s main challenge was his breathing rhythm. After such a long time away from swimming, his mind tended toward “holding his breath while swimming,” which easily led to insufficient breathing. We spent the entire first month practicing just one thing: “rhythmic breathing.”

Month Two: Distance Accumulation

Two weeks to complete 300 meters, two weeks to stretch to 500 meters. After each session, I recorded my parents’ feelings, including their level of physical exertion, any discomfort, and their emotional state.

During one session, my father said he needed to stop at the 400-meter mark. I didn’t push him. He rested for 2 minutes, holding onto the lane rope, then said on his own, “Okay, let’s continue.” That power of “deciding to continue on his own” was more important than any encouragement I could give.

Month Three: Open Water Adaptation

Two weeks before Sun Moon Lake, we went to a managed open water venue to let my parents swim in a non-pool environment. That time, what impressed me most was my mother’s reaction:

“This feels different—freer. In a pool, I always feel the pressure of the walls. Here, I can just keep swimming and swimming.”

She swam 650 meters in that session, surpassing her own expectations.

That Morning at Sun Moon Lake

On race day morning, Shuishe Pier was packed with people. My father wore an orange swim cap, my mother a dark blue one, and both carried inflatable buoys. I stood between them, feeling a strange sense of role reversal: growing up, they had led me; now it was my turn to accompany them.

After entering the water, the three of us swam side by side, moving forward at exactly the same slow pace. I deliberately slowed my speed to about sixty percent of my normal pace so I could keep an eye on their condition at all times.

At around the 1-kilometer mark, my father asked us to pause briefly. Holding onto his inflatable buoy, he looked back at the starting pier, then looked ahead toward the opposite shore, and said, “That’s still pretty far.” Then he continued swimming, without any hesitation.

Those words—“that’s still pretty far”—were the bravest four words I heard that day.

My mother barely stopped the entire way, moving forward with a remarkably steady breaststroke rhythm. With 500 meters to the finish, she suddenly picked up a little speed, as if the swimming girl from forty years ago had returned.

The Moment We Reached Shore

The three of us stepped onto the steps of Ita Thao Pier almost simultaneously. After getting out of the water, my father crouched down for a moment, steadied himself for a few seconds, then stood up and patted my shoulder without saying a word. My mother turned to look at the lake behind her and stood quietly for a minute.

Later, at the breakfast table, my father said something: “This is something that, when we bring it up in the future, will be a really good thing.”

That “really good thing” wasn’t about race results or swimming technique. It was about that morning—the three of us, in the same stretch of lake water, swimming 3.3 kilometers forward together.

For Readers Who Want to Challenge This with Their Families

• A physical assessment is the first step and cannot be skipped: Especially for older adults with chronic conditions, be sure to consult a physician first
• Let the elders set their own pace: Don’t measure them by younger standards; their “I can” and “I can’t” are both real
• An inflatable buoy is essential: Having the elders carry a buoy greatly boosts their sense of security and confidence
• Allow enough preparation time: Three months is a reasonable baseline; don’t compress it
• The process matters more than the outcome: Even if you don’t finish, the three months of swimming together is itself a gift

Conclusion

That year, my father was 70, I was 40, and my mother was 68. We swam in the same waters of Sun Moon Lake and reached shore at nearly the same time.

Sometimes, the most worthwhile things aren’t the fastest or the farthest—they’re the things you accomplish together with the people you love most.

Related Reading

• Sun Moon Lake Mass Swim: A First-Timer’s Journey and On-Site Experience
• The Complete Sun Moon Lake Mass Swim Guide: Preparation and Race-Day Strategy for the 3.3km Lake Swim
• Sun Moon Lake Swim Race Preparation: A 12-Week Training Plan for the 3300m Crossing
• Sun Moon Lake Mass Swim: A Participant’s Guide to Taiwan’s Largest Water Event