14-year-old California boy becomes youngest to swim length of Lake Tahoe

RENO, Nev. — A 14-year-old California boy has become the youngest person to swim the entire 21.3-mile (34-kilometer) length of Lake Tahoe and complete the alpine lake’s coveted Triple Crown.

James Savage of Los Banos completed the trip in 12 hours on Aug. 1 when he swam from Camp Richardson in South Lake Tahoe, California to the Hyatt Regency in Incline Village.

He earlier completed the other two legs of the Lake Tahoe Triple Crown, all 10 miles (16 kilometers) or longer.

Savage and his mother, Jillian, told the Tahoe Daily Tribune the physical training for the swim was a lot easier than the mental endurance it takes to complete such a long-distance swim.

His mother said her only concern was that her son would get bored and decide he wanted to quit. But after the first mile, she was convinced he would get the job done.

Last August, at age 13, Savage became the youngest to complete the 12-mile (19-kilometer) “true width swim.” It’s also known as the “Godfather” swim because it starts at the site of a mansion in Homewood, California used in the movie, “The Godfather: Part II.”

He also swam the 10-mile (16-kilometer) Vikingsholm route that traverses the southern portion of the mountain lake.