Nothing Great is Easy

In September 2008 I attempted to swim the English Channel. I had been training for more than a year for the big swim, devoting almost my entire life to the pursuit, training for hours in Dover harbour, acclimitising to the cold, and mentally preparing myself for the challenge.

Unfortunately, after 14 hours and 42 minutes of swimming I was forced to abandon my swim, still 3 miles from France after going sideways for the last two hours with no strength left to fight in through the tide. I was left feeling devastated, but I knew that one day I would be back.

Since then, however, I embarked on a different kind of adventure, travelling the world by bicycle. After 44,000km of cycling I now find myself in Munich, Germany. A family wedding next year will bring me finally back to the UK, and, while I'm there, the lure of the Channel is once again calling to me.

I know this will be a monumental challenge. In the four years since I last tried, I have done little swimming. The bodyfat I gained to fight the cold water has been lost in the miles of bike riding, and all my cold aclimitisation had gone. I will have to start from scratch. Everything I went through in 2008, I will have to go through again. That was the toughest thing I have ever been through, and if I'm going to make it to France this time, I will have to work even tougher. But in the infamous words of the very first man to swim the Channel, Captain Matthew Webb, "Nothing great is easy!"

Follow my journey here!

A graph of my 2008 swim, must learn to swim straight!