Indiana man calls off record-setting Lake Michigan swim

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A 51-year-old man from northwest Indiana who planned to break a record swimming across Lake Michigan and back called off his attempt.

Scott Weston Wolford, of Chesterton, Ind., hoped to swim unassisted from Oak Street Beach to St. Joseph, Mich., and back to Chicago. That's a 120-mile, 70-hour swim. The journey is roughly equivalent to swimming the English Channel six consecutive times.

Wolford wanted to raise money for The Nature Conservancy and awareness about environmental causes.

Nearly 15 hours into his trip, the marathon swimmer called it off. He explained why on his Facebook page.

Wolford said he was unable to make it because of the weather, with storms and strong waves slowing him down. He said he plans to try it again in the future.