An epic swim in Ottawa's Rideau Canal pushes competitors to their limits
‘It put them out of their comfort zone on a national landmark.’
For Episode 3 of Canada's Ultimate Challenge, players descended on the nation's capital Ottawa for the next leg of their journey. Four teams remained to compete on a pair of obstacle courses designed to showcase the city's cultural heritage and landmark sites.
The teams gathered near the Rideau Canal behind the parliament buildings and learned that they were going for a swim. "I've lived in Ottawa all my life, I never saw anyone step a foot in the canal and now we're going to swim in it," said competitor Jenny Laviolette.
We're taking a piece of history built almost 200 years ago and trying to make it fresh and vibrant to appeal to a younger generation.- Karen Feeley, Parks Canada
"I think the most exciting challenge for me was the Rideau Canal in Ottawa because it's such an iconic location with historical significance to our country," said executive producer Jeff Thrasher who worked on the team that conceived and designed the challenges. "Nobody's ever swam in the lock system before," he says, "we always try to do some things in challenges that no one has ever done, or the public can't do, to give the audience and the cast a unique experience."
The canal is managed by Parks Canada, who the producers had worked with on other challenges. "To tell you the truth, I [initially] said no because it's just not something that we had ever been asked before," said Karen Feeley, External Relations Manager for Parks Canada. "But the folks at Insight [the company that produces the show] are very persuasive. We're taking a piece of history built almost 200 years ago and trying to make it fresh and vibrant to appeal to a younger generation."
The initial idea was to drain a portion of the locks and build a running obstacle course. But when the water was removed, the bottom of the canal was covered with a slick film of algae. "It would be way too dangerous," says Thrasher, so the team pivoted to a swim. To add excitement and make it a challenge worthy of the show, producers added a rushing water element. "We did the math," reveals Thrasher, "how much water flow can our contestants swim against? And how can they climb up?"
"Eventually it became this fantastic challenge that pushed our contestants to the limit. It put them [the players] out of their comfort zone on a national landmark," he says.
On the surface, the challenge looked super easy. But the players struggled.
Watch | Swimming the Rideau Canal was harder than it looked
"I had never had such self-doubt and feeling of physical defeat in my life," remembers Leka Sodade, "I felt like I was drowning and could not make it to that ladder. To this day, I still don't know how I did it." "I nearly gave up. I felt as if I was going to fall off the ladder or begin to drown as the ladder kept tilting me into the waterfall," said Dan Ginnane who also found the challenge difficult.
"We look at all of the different safety components [because] we put people in very precarious situations," reassures Thrasher, "there'll be nicks and bumps and bruises. But overall, you go into this competition, you come out of it safely."
Some players rose to the challenge. Jac Le, who won the pole hanging competition in Episode 2 put her experience competing in triathlons to good use.
"We didn't want it to only be about brawn," says Thrasher. "We definitely had people that were strong, but you had to be strong and perform mentally well under pressure. And not just individually but as a team as well."
The production crew built a holding area at the end of the challenge. Since the location was right in downtown Ottawa, they knew they would have to separate the players from the crowds that would gather to watch the event.
And that's when some of the best moments happened. Teammates were there to provide support to each other. "We see you're having a tough time, but we got you," says Thrasher. "It was a pretty powerful moment on the banks of the Rideau Canal."
Disclaimer: This challenge was shot in a controlled area under Parks Canada's strict supervision. Swimming, jumping, or diving in the Rideau Canal locks is strictly prohibited.
