Brian Connor, who now lives in London, grew up near Rice Lake in a family with five kids. But tragically two of his older brothers passed away in their teens from Duchenne muscular dystrophy. “My brother Kevin passed away at 16 from Duchenne and my brother Terry died when he was 18,” said Connor. The years have passed but his love for his two older siblings never faded, so 18 years ago he made a decision to honour his brothers and help others who have been stricken with the disease. “I was 52 years old at the time and wanted to do something so I thought about swimming across Rice Lake and its five kilometres,” said Connor. “I asked my friend George Bennett to help out and he said yes.” Bennett said, “My kids thought I wouldn’t be able to do it so I set out to prove them wrong, but it’s been a lot of fun. “ The Rice Lake Challenge is a five-kilometre swim and over the years its grown to include a six kilometre walk as well as a bike around the lake. It’s taking place this weekend on Saturday Aug. 22, but this time around there’s a bit of a twist. The two men are now completing 330 laps in the pool at the Damian Warner Fitness Centre in south London instead of swimming across the lake. “Last year we were in the cold water for four and a half hours and we drank a lot of that Rice Lake water,” said Connor. Bennett doesn’t mind being in the pool adding, “We’ve got a lot of kilometres on us and this way if we get tired we can just stand up.” So far the Rice Lake Challenge has raised more than $493,000 and they are hoping to get over the half-million-dollar mark this year. If you would like to help out and donate you can go to Brian Connor’s Rice Lake Challenge 2026. Conner said, “Its always been a cause that is near and dear to me and we’ve had a lot good times along the way.”
