Open water swimming is one of the most challenging and fiercely-competitive sports around. Besides needing the mental and physical strength to go the distance, swimmers must be prepared to cope with temperatures that are often dangerously low; strong currents that can take them off course and sometimes add miles to their journey; big waves, and threats such as sharks and jellyfish that lurk in the waters they’re navigating.
Here are five of the great endurance swimmers, smashers of world records and fearless in pursuit of victory.
Diane Nyad
Earlier this year Nyad became the first person to swim from Cuba to the Florida Keys without the aid of a shark cage. It was a massive feat, the culmination of years of effort. Having previously set a world record for the longest openwater swim, Nyad first attempted the swim over thirty years ago, and finally managed it at the age of 64. This was her fifth and last try, and she managed it in 53 hours. She faced many hazards during the swim, the main one being box jellyfish, whose stings had thwarted her several times before. A protective mask was the key this time, although she was still unable to speak for some time after reaching land, due to a swollen face from being lashed by their tentacles.
Martin Strel
Strel set a record in 2007 when he swum the entire length of the Amazon River, over 3200 miles, in 66 days. His other epic swims have included the lengths of the Danube in Europe, the Yangtze in China, and the Mississippi in the United States. During the Amazon swim, Strel was accompanied by a support crew in boats. One of their most important tasks was to keep buckets of blood handy, in case any piranha fish became curious and needed distracting. Pressure much?
Alison Streeter
Popularly known as the Queen of the Channel, Streeter has swum the English Channel a massive 43 times, more than anyone else. She set a record time for a female swimmer, but her astonishing claim to fame is that she is one of only three people, and the only woman, to have swum the channel three times back to back. That’s to say, she set off from England, and when she reached France she turned back, and on reaching the UK again she turned round once more. Other feats include a circuit of Manhattan Island, and being the first woman to swim from Ireland to Scotland.
Lewis Pugh
In 2010, Pugh swam for one kilometre in a glacial lake called Lake Pumori. Nothing so unusual about that, except for the fact that Pumori is found on Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain. With an altitude of 5,300 feet, the water was only 2 degrees centigrade. What makes Pugh so great is that with all of his swims he aims to draw attention to issues around water. For example, this one was to highlight to melting of the glaciers, and how the problems with water supply this will cause could affect nations for years to come.
Dan Martin
Martin, an endurance athlete, is hoping to begin his global triathlon in 2014. The first part is swimming across the Atlantic, an incredible 5,700 miles, in the process becoming the first to do it without a shark cage. Unfortunately the project is on hold due to problems with his support boat, but should he manage to complete the swim, the next stages are a cycle from France to Alaska, and then a run from there to New York. Book a trip to the States with Trek America and you could be there to cheer him over the finish line!
Rob is a great fan of swimming and can often be found just off the southcoast undertaking the epic 5 buoy challenge.
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