In the simplest view, staying sufficiently warm across a 12-mile swim in 65-degree lake water fueled Alex Kostich to an endurance swimming record last month.
Too cold would mean hypothermia and a subsequent failed swim. But conquering Lake Tahoe’s width represented so much more than just an athletic feat. The experience rejuvenated the 55-year-old, with boosted confidence, self-esteem, and a sense of life direction.
“Like a dream,” Kostich said.
Kostich is a Cambridge native who lived in Belmont from ages 8 to 18 and spends roughly a third of the year in town with his parents at the Grove Street home they purchased nearly a half-century ago. His sister and 4-year-old nephew live there too.
The 4-hour, 28-minute, and 55-second journey represented a seminal moment on the road to recovery after a nightmarish start to 2025.
In January, Kostich’s husband of 26 years abruptly left him. He met someone else and “vanished,” said Kostich, who still has “many unanswered questions.” Swimming Tahoe and smashing the record by 15 minutes was “an out-of-body experience,” building a pillar of a new life: doing the things that bring joy and confidence.
“My life flashed before my eyes,” Kostich said. “I was thinking about all sorts of things and the transition that I’ve been experiencing this year.”
Suffice to say, swimming is the Kostich family sport. His parents, George and Mirjana, competed for their national team in the former Yugoslavia before escaping Communism for a new life in the United States. Alex, who started swimming before he could walk at the War Memorial Pool in Cambridge, went to Chenery Middle School and BB&N ahead of an All-American swimming career at Stanford University.
Not making the 1992 USA Olympic Team effectively ended Kostich’s pool competition career. His decision to turn to open water swimming after retiring from pool competition made sense. George Kostich had earned numerous accolades as an open-water competitor, defecting before a chance at competing in the Olympics.
Primarily a Los Angeles resident since graduating from college, Kostich is a marketing professional boasting stints at Warner Bros. and Sony.
Kostich found open water swimming through connections forged as a part-time swim instructor at local health clubs.
“It was still the same tools and the same language, but I was a customer,” Kostich said. “It was a completely different sport, and I was hooked.”
As a pool competitor, Kostich specialized in distance. The longest event, 1,500 meters, equals about a mile. In open water swimming, Kostich continues to dominate in distances much greater than any foray in the pool, finding an ability to hang with swimmers half his age.
Kostich visited Tahoe for the first time earlier this summer, swapping residences with the contractor who was renovating his house. The area’s beauty stuck with Kostich, who then learned about the logistics of pulling off the swim. With a month’s notice, Kostich crushed it.
The race began at 4:30 a.m. in pitch black conditions. Kostich, who attached glow sticks on his swim cap and swimsuit for safety, swam alongside a satellite-enabled boat. After finishing, even before knowing his time, euphoria flooded Kostich’s mind. Learning his time brought disbelief.
“I feel like my best years are behind me, and breaking a record unless it was age-defined probably wasn’t in my sights,” Kostich said. “Breaking an all-time record was really a humbling and exciting boost.”
In Belmont, Kostich adores the first snowfall each year. He’s a regular at Spice Delight and satisfies his sweet tooth with ice cream from Rancatore’s.
Up next? Completing the Lake Tahoe Triple Crown, something Kostich had no idea existed until his crew alerted him. First, the nearly 21-mile length next year. Then, sprinting the Vikingholm, the shortest width.
“I’m sort of a completionist by nature,” Kostich said. “That sowed the seeds, and now I can’t get it out of my mind.”
