Nearly every summer morning at 6, investment banker Douglas McConnell is in the middle of Lake Zurich, religiously counting strokes in his head as he logs two-hour swims.

Mr. McConnell, 56, of northwest suburban Barrington, recently became the 84th person in the world — and the 16th over age 50 — to complete an open-water endurance swim of more than 20 miles, this one in New York.

In 2011, he battled five-foot waves and 63-degree water temperatures, wearing only a Speedo, while swimming through the night to traverse the 32-mile English Channel. Mr. McConnell kicked off from land near Dover, England, and ended 14 hours and 40,538 strokes later in Wissant, France. You can read the entire article online at Crain’s Chicago Business.