Vincent Richer could barely heave himself onto the Ottawa city bus. He weighed 410 pounds. Nearly bedridden with osteoarthritis, he feared losing his job and had to swallow two Tylenol just to get up out of bed to go to work.

That was nearly four years ago. Refusing to accept his state any longer, he has since lost over 100 pounds, exchanged "pure fat" for lean muscle mass and found his home in masters swimming.

Richer, 45, is a member of Technosport in Ottawa and an information officer with the Government of Canada. He recently raced at the 8th Edition of the All-America's LATyCAR Masters Swimming Competition in Brazil and participated in the prestigious 42 Km Saguenay River Swimming Marathon. He also enters various open water races as well as Masters Swimming Canada events.

Although he worked on his many health problems concurrently, swimming got him moving. Masters allowed him to progress at his own rate. Competition allows him to raise his personal goals and test his upper limits, he says. "In Masters there is a place for everyone at every level. It's one of its least known assets (or advantages). There are so very few sports like it."

His journey began when Richer was the last new patient his family doctor signed. The arthritis turned out to be a blessing in disguise and an opportunity, he says. He went to the Arthritis Society's Website and learned through its message board that others suffered as he did. He was unable to lift his arms over his head; further physiotherapy treatments actually worsened his condition. Finally, his therapist decided to send him to an aqua fitness specialist.

"To the pool?" Richer recalls asking. "You mean I was allowed to wear a bathing suit in public? I'm actually being encouraged to go swimming?"

Eventually he became part of the regulars at the public swimming facilities, moving slowly at first with his own version of dog paddle. Every week he was dropping weight and adding lengths. He laughs how the lifeguard suggested he take off his aqua socks while he swam. He found a fraternity in the slow lanes and became a motivator. "All of a sudden people were coming to me, saying I'm watching you go. You're my inspiration."

He never felt inhibited. "I never, never, never came across demeaning or judging conditions in the pool. Kind of boring, isn't it? Not for me! There is no doubt in my mind that this is also part of the recipe for my success."

Eventually he was up to two kilometres in an hour. He wondered how his newly acquired capacity to swim long distances fit with competitive swim times. Searching on the Internet for a swimming goal he found the Meech Lake Open Water event "right in my backyard."

He called Technosport coach Duane Jones, who was also the open water meet organizer. Jones offered a tryout. After the tryout, Jones told Richer he had the two qualities it takes to be coached: have the guts to join and the ability to listen. He also said that joining the club wasn't about being a fast swimmer, it was about being a good listener in order to follow instructions in doing drills you're not used to doing, Richer explains.

His courage renewed, Richer attempted his first ever open water swim. He managed to convince Jones that he could complete the 4-kilometre circuit in approximately 2 hours using his own modified dog paddle stroke, since he was not yet accustomed to freestyle. He completed the course in 2 hours, 14 minutes. To this day, his claim to fame is to have been the only competitor who has swam the Meech Lake circuit using the dog paddle. He probably swam the best time "per pound" as he weighed 350 pounds at the time, Richer laughs.

As he contemplates his weight loss, he is constantly refocusing. "I expect to hit plateaus and that should not be considered as a negative stage. Actually a plateau is a stage that symbolizes with accuracy my final goal (which is) a healthy balanced body composition. Over the long run, the weight loss stages are merely transitions between plateaus that indicate that balance has been achieved." He's aiming to reach a plateau of 250 pounds.

In the pool, he dreams of swimming well into his 80s and preferably when he is 100, he says.

"My biggest heroes are the people swimming at 70 and 80 because their determination to keep fit serves as an example to all of us that, with a proper game plan, nothing is impossible!"