Perhaps it's something in the water, but much like his coach and mentor Gus Ryder, Cliff Lumsdon was as much a stellar human being and gentleman as he was a long distance swimmer.And he was a formidable long distance swimmer.

Lumsdon, who passed away in 1991, joined the famed Lakeshore Swim Club in the 1940s and, under the master tutelage of Ryder, captured five World Marathon titles from 1949 to 1956, winning his first at the tender age of 18. He also swam just to challenge himself, as was the case in 1956 when he crossed the daunting juan de Fuca Strait between British Columbia and Washington state.

Shortly after his passing in 1991, Cliff's wife Joan recalled that he hated to swim alone. It was the races he loved, and they kept him going. Lumsdon's stamina was the stuff of legends. His daily training regimen included five hours of swimming in the Credit river, where he worked out with his close friend Marilyn Bell.

In recognition of his first world title,in 1949, the long time Etobicoke native was awarded the Lou Marsh trophy as the Outstanding Canadian Athlete of the Year. He was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1967.

Lumsdon remained involved in the sport he loved from his retirement until his premature death at age 61, coaching thousands of kids at the Lakeshore Swim Club, including his daughter Kim who conquered Lake Ontario herself in 1976.

His roots in the community ran very deep - as a coach at the Lakeshore Swim Club and as a 30 year employee at the City of Etobicoke.