COEUR d’ALENE — Two Masters Swimmers will be diving into Lake Coeur d'Alene on Sunday for the 2018 Coeur d'Alene Crossing.

Together, they have more than 130 years and countless miles of swimming experience. The Crossing will recognize Robert "Bob" Beach, who said he turned 88 at the end of July, and Graham Johnston, 87, as the oldest swimmers of the race and for their longevity with the sport as they continue making a splash long into their golden years.

"If it's not inspiring for people, it should be," said Rog Hardy, a Crossing co-founder, director and board member. "To see people at 87 years old who are still taking care of their bodies and going the distance, you can't just get off the couch and swim 2.4 miles. For these guys to have it in them is pretty amazing."

Beach, of St. Petersburg, Fla., will participate in the Crossing for the first time. He is a retired judge who celebrated his birthday last summer by swimming from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco, a swim he accomplished as the first judge to do so in 1974.

"The remarkable part of swimming is it's something you can participate in all your life and not hurt your ligaments or your joints or fall off your bike and injure yourself," he said. "Not only is it good for you physically; it's good for you emotionally. It’s very relaxing. If you have personal problems you can get rid of them just by working out."

He and Johnston are great friends who have swam together in locations around the world. Johnston has swam the Straits of Gibraltar and from the Hawaiian island of Lanai to Maui. This will be his third time swimming the Crossing, which takes participants on a boat across the lake to swim 2.4 miles from Arrow Point to the Hagadone Event Center.

"I think Coeur d'Alene is one of the nicest," said Johnston, who resides in Houston and is an inductee of the Texas Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame. "I like the finish, the terraces with the green grass and the beautiful flowers. Everything is nice about it — a lot of nice people of all ages, it’s just a nice swim."

More than 240 participants will join Johnston and Beach in swimming across the lake during the seventh annual Coeur d'Alene Crossing, which begins at 8 a.m. Sunday. Proceeds from the race benefit the North Idaho College Booster Club, the Coeur d'Alene Area Swim Team (CAST) and Union Gospel Mission.

Info: www.cdacrossing.com