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Woman Swims Entire Ohio River

By: Jeff Stensland

CAIRO -- A Tennessee woman swims nearly 1,000 miles down the entire Ohio River, arriving on the banks of Cairo Saturday afternoon. It is a journey that began on May 22, 2010, for Mimi Hughes, 54, of Taft, Tenn.

Amid the barge traffic of the busy Ohio River, you see a cluster of kayaks and arms reaching out of the water. Mimi Hughes swam a total of 981 miles, from Pittsburg, Pa., to Cairo, Ill.

"It's just been a renewed excitement in me about the American spirit all coming out to support my mission statement," Hughes said.

That mission statement is something that is close to her heart: equal education among boys and girls. Soon after coming out of the water at Fort Defiance Park, Hughes asked where the nearest library is, and encouraged young women on the shore to crave learning.

"We have a tremendous gap throughout the world in the education between boys and girls," she said. "If we don't bridge that gap, we will never be as good of a society as we can be."

Swimming end to end of the Ohio is not easy. Hughes swam 20 miles a day, six days a week. Many of those days were more difficult because there was no current to help.

Several on shore followed Hughes during her 57-day journey, including Tim Suter. He is mayor of Moscow, Ohio, a town outside Cincinatti. Suter and his wife hosted Hughes the night of June 16, 2010. In a few words, Suter describes Hughes as very disciplined.

"In just the few hours we got to talk to her, you realize how strong of a person she is," Suter said.

"I don't have money, and I don't have political clout," Hughes said. "When something bothers me, I'd rather light a candle than curse the darkness. I just fall into these swims to promote social or environmental responsibility."

Hughes hopes her message spreads beyond the crowd along the shore.

"That they also challenge themselves to do and be more than they thought possible," she said.