Karen Gaffney will swim across Tahoe tomorrow

Karen Gaffney will swim accross Lake Tahoe tomorrow starting at 5.3am.

Gaffney, who has Down syndrome, started swimming at 9 months old. She is an accomplished athlete who has swam the English Channel as part of a relay team in 2001 and has swum the San Francisco Bay seven times in training for triathalons.

"I'll be thinking about keeping my pace and speed while I'm swimming," Gaffney said.

The swim is expected to take about nine hours and will start on the east shore at Dead Man's point, and will end at Sugar Pine Point on the west shore.

Gaffney, who is a graduate of Portland State University, and now works for the Karen Gaffney Foundation, which she helped start at Portland State, is swimming to raise money for the National Down Syndrome Congress, a non-profit organization that raises awareness about Down syndrome. To help support the organization, go here.

NBC's "Today" show is expected to cover Gaffney's swim live during its Tuesday morning broadcast.