It’s not everyday that you wake up and decide to swim 26.2 miles in one month’s time. While this may appear to be the unimaginable for many, for 2012 St. Thomas alumnus Jillian Wright, the decision to tackle such a feat was quite real.

For Wright, the idea to take on such a difficult task occurred to her when the nation was searching for answers during a time of crisis.

After the April 15 Boston Marathon bombings, Wright stepped up when the tragedy struck a chord with her.

“It really came down to a friend of mine running the marathon this year and finishing shortly before the explosions went off,” Wright said. “I’d already planned on swimming in a marathon this month, and I was trying to think of a cause to raise awareness for or money for, and I got in the pool that afternoon. I knew that was what I wanted to do.”

Averaging around 1.5 miles a day with a 31-day deadline, Wright took to the pool May 5 with a goal in mind: to raise $10,000.

“I’m putting forth the effort to swim the marathon,” Wright said. “Essentially people can get to (my) page, they can donate anything from a dollar to as much as they want and that holds me accountable to do my work and keep up my end of the bargain.”

Not only has Wright put forth the effort through her own swimming, but she has reached out to other swimmers to do the same as well. With her friend coaching a Minneapolis master’s team at the YMCA, Wright offered to donate $10 to her own fundraising efforts for each swimmer who could accomplish the 26.2 mile goal.

“She said if they went to four practices a week for the month, they’d be swimming the length of a marathon,” Wright said. “I kind of put out a challenge to them.”

With accommodating pool space in the Anderson Athletic Recreation Center Pool, the choice was quite clear that she would achieve her goal with her St. Thomas roots as her support.

“It’s been a really good place for me to find a sport that I love again,” Wright said. “It’s a beautiful facility. I’ve had amazing experiences here.”

Pool director Tom Hodgson said Wright’s selfless act shows the power of being inspired by a cause.

“The message is that anybody who loves swimming, whether or not they’re varsity caliber or not, can enjoy the process of lap swimming,” Hodgson said.

Wright’s act has sparked support from the St. Thomas community.

Sophomore swimmer Mariann Kukielka said Wright’s cause is nothing less than inspiring.

“I think that shows a lot about a person’s character,” Kukielka said. “It’s amazing to see what lengths someone will go to to help others which really shows heroism in a person. I’m so proud to see that we have those heroes among our student body at St. Thomas.”

This challenge can be draining both mentally and physically for a swimmer, and Kukielka said she gives Wright all her support.

“It’s going to take a lot of training and hard work; yet the fact that she’s willing to do this shows a lot of moral fiber,” Kukielka said. “I was once told that the only thing stopping you from swimming is the eight inches between your ears … swimming is really a mental activity and it shows that she’s a strong person of character to be able to set this as a goal and go through with this.”

The cause that Wright swims for not only raises awareness and funds for those affected by the bombings, but has kept the St. Thomas mission statement at the core.

Hodgson said Wright is embodying the statement’s words through her actions.

“She is placing the common good and the good of others ahead of her own wants and wishes … the real story here is her generosity of spirit,” Hodgson said. “She is doing this. She is giving with no thought of reward, that’s the very definition of generosity.”

Ultimately, Wright said her swimming alone will not solve the problem, but can spark others to do similar acts.

“Maybe I can’t solve the problems of anyone that was victimized by the bombings, but I can be part of the solution, and I think that’s kind of the bottom of line of all this,” Wright said. “Alone we can’t do much to solve big problems but together we can make a difference.”

Sean Crotty can be reached at crot0230@stthomas.edu.