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A ray of light spawns from a deep, dark place
2022-06-02

The layers to the story of Matthieu Bonin are as deep and intriguing – and equally as awesome – as the adventures of the man himself.

The 35 year-old former teacher became something of a household name locally last summer, completing a swim crossing of Lake Wahnapitae less than a year after taking up the sport in any kind of a serious manner.

This summer, his journey continues.

The Multiple Sclerosis Manitoulin Swim (www.msmanitoulinswim.com) is the next challenge that awaits this very forthright gentleman, born in Ottawa but raised in Sudbury, as Bonin tackles the task of swimming the entire distance around Manitoulin Island in a period over about a month or so.

This might seem like the end product of a life of training, decades devoted to the fine-tuning of a phenomenal athlete. Nothing could be further from the truth.

“I would definitely not have labeled myself an athlete,” said Bonin, who tipped the scales at 260 pounds or so prior to his 30th birthday. “Now, definitely an athlete; before, definitely not.”

In fact, carrying far too many pounds for his own good was not the worst of his concerns – not even close. Struggling with on-going mental health issues, unable to find just the right treatment, Bonin hit rock bottom.

“I was very ill at 29,” he said. “The severity of my depression caused catatonia. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t speak, I couldn’t do anything. I was in a really dark, deep place. It was terrifying.”

Get moving – keep moving – amaze yourself.

These days, Bonin swears by a handful of meaningful mantras, words to live by that help guide him to a pathway of recovery and growth – not to mention some absolutely incredible accomplishments. Five years ago, the starting point was far more modest.

“I started by simply trying to move my right pinky finger,” he said.

The notion that this basic task could lead to a 10 km Spartan obstacle race in what seemed like a blink of the eye is almost incomprehensible. Next up was a trio of Spartan races, all on the same weekend, the end product of a training regimen with Dennis Legault of Apex Warrior that clearly bumped Bonin outside his comfort zone.

On to brazilian jiu-jitsu training and ultra distance running. If one did not know better, one might think that Matthieu Bonin was a natural Olympian just waiting to be discovered. “I am not super human – I am fully human,” he suggested with a laugh. “I think I just kept doing things that I didn’t believe that I could do.”

“I have learned, through a lot of experiences (in a short span of time, he might add) that just because you think you can’t do something, it doesn’t mean that you’re right.”

Even as he prepares for this next open water outings that the overwhelming majority of folks would never even contemplate – heck, the majority of accomplished swimmers would not begin to think about attempting the swim that lies before Bonin – the gentleman who is devoting this particular fundraiser to the memory of his aunt Claire sees a very common man when he looks in the mirror.

“What separates me is my mentality; it’s definitely not my physicality,” he said. “I really do believe that 90% of people have it in them to do the things that I do.”

Yes, he has been fortunate, with injuries derailing his various undertakings only slightly along the way. “You don’t want to push your way through injuries,” said Bonin, who noted that his weekly treatments with Kim Brouzes (Active Therapy Plus) are a mainstay of his schedule these days.

“I’ve definitely pushed my way through injuries, at times, and you definitely cause more damage.”

Damage control is but one of the jobs of an incredible team of volunteers that Bonin has assembled along the way, a grouping that he now affectionately dubs “The Adventurers”, a collection of knowledge that at times overwhelms the man in the middle of it all.

“I don’t know how I’ve built this team, but I am blessed with an incredible team around me,” he said. “I think people agree with the why of what I am doing and they want to support that, they want to be part of the story.”

It bears repeating: his is a story with countless layers – including his development as a swimmer.

“I was mostly self taught and had this really wonky swim stroke. I didn’t know what I was doing; I was just failing my arms. But I started swimming lakes and followed it wherever it went.”

“I would get invitations to camps and cottages and thought it was a fun way to train. I met a bunch of interesting people, swimming up rivers, down rivers and across twenty lakes.”

That was the summer of 2021.

The summer of 2022 takes that to the next level, venturing out into the testier waters of the Great Lakes. After all, what would life be without another chapter to add to the incredible story of Matthieu Bonin.

Palladino Subaru