How about making the gesture independent of the distance you have to swipe (think of large displays or when holding your device in landscape orientation)?
A IMHO more accessible alternative would be to peek into home/events by starting to swipe from the screen edge and then (without lifting your finger inbetween) move up/down to select the app to switch to. Lift your finger to switch to that app. Move your finger straight back to the screen edge to cancel.