``It hurt this year,’’ said Hannon, a retired school teacher from Arizona. ``This may have been it.’’

Hannon began this year’s 9-mile journey from the Lighthouse at Lakefront Park at 9 a.m., and finished at Springfield Landing at 1:14 p.m. Last year, he finished in four hours and one minute.

``This was the second fastest time, but this year was different for a couple of reasons,’’ Hannon said. ``I took a more indirect route, and last year I swam right after the flooding and no one was really out on the lake and it was very calm.’’

Hannon, who was accompanied by his wife, Carol, who rode alongside in a boat, said the water was very choppy at about the midway point of his swim.

``It was tough,’’ he said. ``Carol was there offering encouragement and giving me bananas and apple juice which helped a lot.’’

Hannon said he began swimming the lake because he fell in love with it after visiting Cooperstown, and kept on swimming as a means of motivation during the year.

``I can’t run because of arthritis, and swimming is the best activity for me,’’ he said. ``I train quite a lot during the year, and every year when I swim the lake it reaffirms my love for it.’’

Cooperstown’s Angus Mackie, who documents all lake swims by adding people’s names to a plaque at the Clark Sports Center, said no one has completed the lake swim as many times as Hannon.