SIESTA KEY, Fla. — Helping veterans who suffer from PTSD, a Sarasota woman took on a marathon challenge to raise awareness and money.
Julie Madison was in the Gulf waters for more than 18 hours in her attempt to swim all the way around Siesta Key. It may not have ended the way she planned, but she still broke a record for the distance she did swim.
It was 4:20 a.m. on Tuesday, June 4 when Julie Madison started swimming. Her goal was to make it all the way around Siesta Key.
"It was dark. It was actually beautiful," Madison said. "The stars were out. It was absolutely gorgeous. Very flat water as we were leaving so that was good news."
She was working her way counterclockwise swimming the Intracoastal first. Julie says things were going well until about 7 hours in when she hit the Gulf waters.
"Pretty much almost 16 miles of being pushed and then someone trying to punch you in the face. Like you were getting pushed and then a wave would hit you in the face. So there were definitely points through that that I wanted to quit."
That's also when she lost her support kayakers and the boat escorting her was having motor trouble.
"It got so choppy and so rough that my kayak team flipped over and I had to get my solo support swimmer into the water with me. We swam unassisted for 2.5 hours."
It was dark, so after more than 18 hours of swimming and some miscommunication with her team, she decided it was time to stop.
"I actually didn't get back to my start point. The entire circumference should have been 32.6 miles."
Julie actually wound up swimming 37.6 miles, an accomplishment few can claim. Her determination to finish comes from a combination of strength, mental toughness and inspiration to help veterans who suffer from PTSD.
"There I was thinking about all the different struggles that they have to go through and how that must be difficult when they're trying to acclimate back into people who just don't understand those experiences."
And the next day, despite sore muscles and a stinging sensation in her throat, she was back to work training service dogs for veterans. She knows her mission is much bigger than breaking a record.
"I would love for donations to SOF Missions for Top Tier K-9 Bradenton Service dogs so we can help get the veterans the help that they need."
SOF Missions is a non-profit in Tampa that helps support veterans and their families. One of the ways they do that is by providing service dogs trained specifically for veterans who suffer from PTSD.