Jim Dreyer

Jim Dreyer (born August 16, 1963), also known as 'The Shark', is an ultra marathon athlete, because his swimming accomplishments are often tied to extensive running and cycling feats.

He swam across various lakes, among others:
 * Lake Michigan 65 mi, in 1998
 * Lake Huron 52 mi in 1999
 * Lake Erie 30 mi, as part of a duathlon in 2000
 * Lake Ontario 56 mi, as part of an "Ironman-distance plus" triathlon, in 2000
 * Lake Michigan full length, est. 422 mi, in 2003
 * Lake Superior 59 mi, in 2005

Dreyer has set various records on those distances and has won multiple marathon and triathlon awards. His swimming accomplishments have all been achieved with a wetsuit, and some swims have been done unaccompanied. These facts cause some dispute for establishing world marathon swimming records, as FINA, Channel swimming, and other marathon swimming rules do not allow unaccompanied or wetsuit swims to compete with standard swim records

On August 28, 2006, Dreyer began an attempt to set a record for the longest continuous swim in the open sea. Dreyer plans to make an estimated 31 crossings totalling 125 mi of the Straits of Mackinac. Dubbed "Dire Straits 125", the feat is estimated to take 84 to 96 hours.

Through his swimming projects he tries to raise funds and awareness for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.

Jim is now living in Batesville, Indiana and successfully selling real estate.