Mars resident Tom Minnock takes a break for some refreshment during a long swim. The 58-year-old is preparing to swim the English Channel in a few weeks.

MARS — Tom Minnock played football when he was younger, but said “I was never an athlete.”

“My favorite sport was drinking beer and smoking cigarettes,” the Mars resident admitted.

How times have changed.

Having already completed three lengthy solo swims in the past four years, Minnock will be 58 when he attempts to swim the English Channel sometime between Sept. 25 and Oct. 5 this fall.

He began his athletic endeavors with mini-triathlons and his adventures grew from there.

“I saw the triathlon as a challenge, something to train for and try to do,” Minnock said. “I only learned to swim so I could do some Ironman competitions.”

Ironman events consist of a 2.4-mile swim, 122 mles bicycling and a marathon run. Minnock competed in three Ironmans in Lake Placid and one in Maryland.

Four years ago, he swam across the Chesapeake Bay — four miles — to begin his distance swimming endeavors.

“I swim 5,000 yards a day (at the Cranberry YMCA) for training,”said Minnock, a self-employed builder. “The Y opens at 5:30 a.m. I'm usually there at 5:15, waiting for the doors to open.

“I go out to Moraine State Park a few times and swim the lake there as well.”

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