Swimming for his life

It's not the bone-on-bone pain, the soreness or the swelling of osteoarthritis that hurts 29-year-old Keris Dahlkamp the most - it's the idea that any of the 70 million people in the United States affected by one form or another of the degenerative disease think they automatically have to give up part of their life once they've been diagnosed.

Dahlkamp was first diagnosed with the disease in his right knee during a promising college soccer career at Humboldt State University in Northern California. "The doctor said I had the joints of a 40-year-old," he remembers.

At first, it was hard for the lifelong athlete to accept, but instead of sitting around navel-gazing, Dahlkamp took up the prognosis as a challenge. He began racing in Ironman competitions and triathlons.

Now, he's swimming across Lake Tahoe to raise money for the Arthritis Foundation and to inspire people in similar positions not to give up on their passions.

Dahlkamp finishes a lap of freestyle at the Carson City Aquatic Center (his training center) and talks about preparations for his July 23 swim. He's planned it for the day of the annual Trans Tahoe Relay so he'll have some company on his odyssey across the deep ice-cold lake.

He figures the 11.5 mile journey from Sand Harbor Beach to Skylandia Beach in Lake Forest, Calif. will take him five to six hours.

With that amount of time in the water, one of the keys to the success of his endurance swim will be keeping his body's core temperature up high enough to avoid hypothermia. To that end, he's outfitted himself with a thick wet suit and cap. Both for his safety and encouragement, his family and his fiancée will be following him in a boat.

But ultimately, it's a journey that he's going to have to make alone.

Dahlkamp, who works as an attaché to Assemblyman Mark Manendo, D-Las Vegas, says he swims every day and keeps with a strict weight-lifting regimen.

He's also preparing himself mentally and been reading up on Lake Tahoe history. He jokes about a possible tangle with the fabled lake monster, "Tahoe Tessie."

Dahlkamp remembers reading a quote attributed to legendary oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, who is rumored to have gone to the bottom of the lake to explore, only to surface in an odd silence and say something to the effect of, "The world isn't ready for what's down there."

But Dahlkamp plans to stay on top, and he hopes his swim will inspire others with arthritis to do the same, whether it's taking on Lake Tahoe or just walking around the block.

- Contact reporter Peter Thompson at pthompson@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1215.

You can help

Keris Dahlkamp's goal is to raise $10,000 for the Arthritis Foundation.

To support Keris and his swim send a check made out to the Arthritis Foundation to:

Donna Johnson

Community Development Director

Arthritis Foundation Northern Nevada Chapter

2400 Harvard Way # 232

Reno, NV 89502

Make sure the check mentions "Keris Dahlkamp's swim" on the memo line.

Or to donate by credit card call: (775) 825-7080

All proceeds benefit the Arthritis Foundation in their mission "To improve lives through leadership in the prevention, control and cure of arthritis and other related diseases."