“I’m going to throw a grenade. I believe the performance of Jan Frodeno at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship is the greatest triathlon performance in triathlon history.”
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“I’m going to throw a grenade. I believe the performance of Jan Frodeno at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship is the greatest triathlon performance in triathlon history.”
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Not my words, but those tweeted by Australian triathlon legend Greg Bennett, and while the three-time Olympian might be erring a little on the hyperbolic, judging by the number of ‘likes’ there were plenty in agreement.
Given the podium in South Africa on Sunday also included Alistair Brownlee and Javier Gomez, it was undeniably the highest-calibre Ironman 70.3 race to date, a distance that has been gathering momentum since the world championship moved from Clearwater, Florida in 2011. But while it might have been standout in nature, it also had echoes of a former classic meeting between Brownlee, Frodeno and Gomez, almost exactly a decade earlier – the 2008 Olympic final in Beijing.
It’s uncanny how history has a knack of repeating itself. Back then, Gomez was the established force, having won 11 of his previous 13 ITU races, including the world title in Vancouver two months earlier. Frodeno arrived in China after a consistent season, but was far from a gold medal favourite. Brownlee had qualified late and was the wet-behind-the-ears 20-year-old out to ruffle feathers.
In Port Elizabeth at the weekend, Gomez had the 70.3 pedigree, having twice stood atop the world championship podium. Frodeno was an established performer, true, but with questionable footspeed to challenge his younger rivals. And Brownlee, despite impressive outings in Utah and Dubai, was still a comparative novice at the distance.
The comparisons don’t end there. Once the gun went and the swim had whittled the lead pack down to eight, the Yorkshireman – just as in 2008 – was a main aggressor, forcing a hard bike leg and taking off early on the run. And just as in China, while Brownlee couldn’t sustain the early pace, neither, ultimately, could Gomez, who clawed his way up to Frodeno before dropping back complaining of a stitch.
Frodeno emerged once again the triumphant, claiming a second 70.3 title to go with two full Ironman world crowns and that Beijing gold, with an emotional outpouring to match. This time, Brownlee stayed strong for second and was magnanimous in his reaction. It may not have been the result he desired, but returning to the gold-medal winning run form of London 2012 is asking a lot of a battle-worn body.
Just as in 2008 – although for differing reasons – he looked happy to be able to compete and relish what the future at this format holds. For Gomez, the disappointment, as with the fourth place in Beijing, was palpable. The final step on the podium in Nelson Mandela Bay being scant consolation for his efforts.
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What’s perhaps most striking is the ability for the triumvirate to be racing one another – and still breaking new ground at the top level of the sport – 10 years apart. The opportunity for this longevity sets triathlon apart, but the story doesn’t end here. Injury and illness not withstanding, Frodeno and Gomez will renew their rivalry in Kona next month in one of the most eagerly awaited men’s Ironman World Championships to date. And while we might have to wait until after Tokyo 2020 for Brownlee to join them – and Frodeno will be pushing past 40 – at least it shouldn’t take another 10 years.
“I’m going to throw a grenade. I believe the performance of Jan Frodeno at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship is the greatest triathlon performance in triathlon history.”
Advertisement
Not my words, but those tweeted by Australian triathlon legend Greg Bennett, and while the three-time Olympian might be erring a little on the hyperbolic, judging by the number of ‘likes’ there were plenty in agreement.
Given the podium in South Africa on Sunday also included Alistair Brownlee and Javier Gomez, it was undeniably the highest-calibre Ironman 70.3 race to date, a distance that has been gathering momentum since the world championship moved from Clearwater, Florida in 2011. But while it might have been standout in nature, it also had echoes of a former classic meeting between Brownlee, Frodeno and Gomez, almost exactly a decade earlier – the 2008 Olympic final in Beijing.
It’s uncanny how history has a knack of repeating itself. Back then, Gomez was the established force, having won 11 of his previous 13 ITU races, including the world title in Vancouver two months earlier. Frodeno arrived in China after a consistent season, but was far from a gold medal favourite. Brownlee had qualified late and was the wet-behind-the-ears 20-year-old out to ruffle feathers.
In Port Elizabeth at the weekend, Gomez had the 70.3 pedigree, having twice stood atop the world championship podium. Frodeno was an established performer, true, but with questionable footspeed to challenge his younger rivals. And Brownlee, despite impressive outings in Utah and Dubai, was still a comparative novice at the distance.
The comparisons don’t end there. Once the gun went and the swim had whittled the lead pack down to eight, the Yorkshireman – just as in 2008 – was a main aggressor, forcing a hard bike leg and taking off early on the run. And just as in China, while Brownlee couldn’t sustain the early pace, neither, ultimately, could Gomez, who clawed his way up to Frodeno before dropping back complaining of a stitch.
Frodeno emerged once again the triumphant, claiming a second 70.3 title to go with two full Ironman world crowns and that Beijing gold, with an emotional outpouring to match. This time, Brownlee stayed strong for second and was magnanimous in his reaction. It may not have been the result he desired, but returning to the gold-medal winning run form of London 2012 is asking a lot of a battle-worn body.
Just as in 2008 – although for differing reasons – he looked happy to be able to compete and relish what the future at this format holds. For Gomez, the disappointment, as with the fourth place in Beijing, was palpable. The final step on the podium in Nelson Mandela Bay being scant consolation for his efforts.
Advertisement
What’s perhaps most striking is the ability for the triumvirate to be racing one another – and still breaking new ground at the top level of the sport – 10 years apart. The opportunity for this longevity sets triathlon apart, but the story doesn’t end here. Injury and illness not withstanding, Frodeno and Gomez will renew their rivalry in Kona next month in one of the most eagerly awaited men’s Ironman World Championships to date. And while we might have to wait until after Tokyo 2020 for Brownlee to join them – and Frodeno will be pushing past 40 – at least it shouldn’t take another 10 years.
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Conditions were ideal for a quick pace on the 75km long race course in the Stockholm archipelago but no one had expected the course records in each category men, mixed and women to be crushed with such incredible times.
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The 13th edition of ÖTILLÖ saw 159 teams of two from 25 nations tackling the 75 km long course, with 65 km trail running and 10 km open water swimming over and between 24 islands in the Stockholm archipelago. The stunning Stockholm archipelago consists of over 24,000 islands.
Competitors of the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championship run and swim in the Baltic Sea, crossing some of the most beautiful parts of the archipelago, from the sailing mecca of Sandhamn to the “island of love”, Utö. They encounter summer homes and uninhabited islands, they run on slippery rocks, beautiful forest trails and swim with currents. Racing with the elements of nature is unique. ÖTILLÖ is long and it is painful. As a competitor you need to be well prepared, race it wisely with your team mate to excel and find a pace that will take you all the way to the finish line, making the cut offs before dark.
With many aspiring top teams, it was impossible to anticipate who would come out as winner of the 2018 edition of the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championship. It proved to be a true nail biter in both the men’s and the women’s category with teams racing neck and neck through most of the extremely long course. Only seconds kept the three top men’s teams apart for hours, until Fredrik Axegård and Alex Flores (SWE) finally managed to pull away and set a new incredible record as the fastest team ever around the course with 7 hours, 39 minutes and 25 seconds, meaning 19 minutes faster than last year’s course record!
“We couldn’t even in our wildest fantasies imagine to finish this fast! You don’t really know what the other teams are doing so just have to keep going, even if it’s painful and even if you have the worst cramps. We had decided not to let anyone go. We aimed for sub eight hours and a podium finish but this is just amazing!” said the elated team Axegård and Flores at the finish line.
The undefeated duo Annika Ericsson and Kristin Larsson (SWE) had a fierce battle against second placed women’s team Fanny Danckwardt andDesirée Andersson (SWE), who led a big part of the course but finally finished 3,49 minutes after the leaders who beat their own record from 2016 by no less than 36 minutes.
”Today’s conditions were just perfect, warm water and no wind. We have been able to race properly without being stiff and cold as previous years. We also met really tough competition this year so we had to keep on pushing”, said Kristin Larsson at the finish at Utö after the team’s third world championship gold in swimrun and record fast time in the women’s category.
In the mixed category Martin Flinta (SWE) and Helena Erbenova Karaskova (CZE) held a comfortable lead over the second mixed team but raced with the top ten men’s teams and finished 8th in total with the impressive time 8:16:15, which is 33 minutes faster than any previous mixed team at ÖTILLÖ. Flinta and Erbenova Karaskova have been unbeatable in the mixed category all year at the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series. They are still wearing the golden bib and if they win at ÖTILLÖ 1000 Lakes in end of September they will win 33 000 € (after six wins in a row at the ÖTILLÖ World Series).
The winners 2018:
Men: Fredrik Axegård and Alex Flores (SWE), Team Sport Office, 7:39:25
Mixed: Martin Flinta (SWE) and Helena Erbenova Karaskova (CZE), Thule Crew/Wolffwear Swimrun, 8:16:15
Women: Kristin Larsson and Annika Ericsson (SWE), Team Outdoor Experten, 8:56:26
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Photographers: Jakob Edholm / ÖTILLÖ and Pierre Mangez / ÖTILLÖ
Conditions were ideal for a quick pace on the 75km long race course in the Stockholm archipelago but no one had expected the course records in each category men, mixed and women to be crushed with such incredible times.
Advertisement
The 13th edition of ÖTILLÖ saw 159 teams of two from 25 nations tackling the 75 km long course, with 65 km trail running and 10 km open water swimming over and between 24 islands in the Stockholm archipelago. The stunning Stockholm archipelago consists of over 24,000 islands.
Competitors of the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championship run and swim in the Baltic Sea, crossing some of the most beautiful parts of the archipelago, from the sailing mecca of Sandhamn to the “island of love”, Utö. They encounter summer homes and uninhabited islands, they run on slippery rocks, beautiful forest trails and swim with currents. Racing with the elements of nature is unique. ÖTILLÖ is long and it is painful. As a competitor you need to be well prepared, race it wisely with your team mate to excel and find a pace that will take you all the way to the finish line, making the cut offs before dark.
With many aspiring top teams, it was impossible to anticipate who would come out as winner of the 2018 edition of the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championship. It proved to be a true nail biter in both the men’s and the women’s category with teams racing neck and neck through most of the extremely long course. Only seconds kept the three top men’s teams apart for hours, until Fredrik Axegård and Alex Flores (SWE) finally managed to pull away and set a new incredible record as the fastest team ever around the course with 7 hours, 39 minutes and 25 seconds, meaning 19 minutes faster than last year’s course record!
“We couldn’t even in our wildest fantasies imagine to finish this fast! You don’t really know what the other teams are doing so just have to keep going, even if it’s painful and even if you have the worst cramps. We had decided not to let anyone go. We aimed for sub eight hours and a podium finish but this is just amazing!” said the elated team Axegård and Flores at the finish line.
The undefeated duo Annika Ericsson and Kristin Larsson (SWE) had a fierce battle against second placed women’s team Fanny Danckwardt andDesirée Andersson (SWE), who led a big part of the course but finally finished 3,49 minutes after the leaders who beat their own record from 2016 by no less than 36 minutes.
”Today’s conditions were just perfect, warm water and no wind. We have been able to race properly without being stiff and cold as previous years. We also met really tough competition this year so we had to keep on pushing”, said Kristin Larsson at the finish at Utö after the team’s third world championship gold in swimrun and record fast time in the women’s category.
In the mixed category Martin Flinta (SWE) and Helena Erbenova Karaskova (CZE) held a comfortable lead over the second mixed team but raced with the top ten men’s teams and finished 8th in total with the impressive time 8:16:15, which is 33 minutes faster than any previous mixed team at ÖTILLÖ. Flinta and Erbenova Karaskova have been unbeatable in the mixed category all year at the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series. They are still wearing the golden bib and if they win at ÖTILLÖ 1000 Lakes in end of September they will win 33 000 € (after six wins in a row at the ÖTILLÖ World Series).
The winners 2018:
Men: Fredrik Axegård and Alex Flores (SWE), Team Sport Office, 7:39:25
Mixed: Martin Flinta (SWE) and Helena Erbenova Karaskova (CZE), Thule Crew/Wolffwear Swimrun, 8:16:15
Women: Kristin Larsson and Annika Ericsson (SWE), Team Outdoor Experten, 8:56:26
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Photographers: Jakob Edholm / ÖTILLÖ and Pierre Mangez / ÖTILLÖ
Jesse Lingard’s absence on Sunday means the task of leading the West Ham line lies with one forward who has only scored once since November and another who has yet to notch for the Hammers.
And ahead of the visit to Man United, West Ham boss David Moyes was keen to remind both strikers of their responsibilities.
Said Benrahma scored 17 times for Brentford in the Championship last season but has failed to find the net in 19 games appearances since his October switch.
MAILBOX: Arteta’s impression of Mini-Pep, belittling Liverpool, Wilder and…
The 25-year-old’s eagerness to break his duck was clear when he sent a couple of long-range efforts over the crossbar against Leeds on Monday.
It prompted Moyes to give the Algerian a basic geometry lesson ahead of Sunday’s fixture.
“First of all he has got to stop hitting them over the bar, he’s got to start getting them under the crossbar,” said Moyes of the £30million signing.
“That is the job. We bought him with goals and assists in mind but he is new to the Premier League, he has to get used to it.
“Not everybody is going to hit the ground running, some come in quickly and some don’t. Said is still learning, still picking bits up, but we like him a lot and we think he has got more to come.
“He has just got to stay steady, he has been taking on shots which aren’t at the right time to do so. I think he just needs to calm down a bit and let it come to him rather than going and looking for it so much.”
Benrahma will be joined in attack by Jarrod Bowen, whose progress has stalled after a flying start to his Hammers career.
The former Hull City forward has scored just once in his last 15 Premier League appearances and Moyes says the club are adopting more of a softly, softly approach to his goal drought.
“Jarrod has come in and given us goals,” added Moyes. “The reason we got Jarrod was because he scored 15 goals a season at Hull and we thought we could get some of that for us.
“He’s found that tougher in recent games, over the last month or two, but we’re not trying to put too much pressure on him because he’s done well for us.”
Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford says the key to his on-field understanding with Raphinha has been the ability to understand him off the field as well.
The duo have contributed 18 goals and 11 assists to Marcelo Bielsa’s entertainers this season to ensure a safe mid-table berth on the club’s Premier League return.
The duo’s blossoming relationship has also put them firmly in the driving seat for the club’s Player of the Year award.
F365 SAYS: Promotion would be too much, too soon for McCarthy’s Cardiff
And Bamford revealed that he has had to fall back on his GCSE French in order for his successful rapport with the talented Brazilian to develop.
“Since he’s come in we’ve really clicked and get on really well off the pitch, which helps on the pitch,” Bamford told BT Sport. “We’re always talking. He’s always saying: ‘I’m going to be looking for you here.’ Or I’m saying: ‘Look, I’m going to be going there so when you get your head up, just look there.’ I speak French a little bit with him. I don’t speak Portuguese. His French is good and mine’s OK. His English is not good!”
After previously struggling for goals in the top flight during spells at Crystal Palace, Norwich City and Burnley, Bamford has netted 13 times in the Premier League this season.
He looks on course to surpass last season’s total of 16 in the Championship, with his most prolific season – 17 for Middlesbrough in 2014/15 – also well within in his sights.
He attributes his increased productivity to Bielsa’s faith in him, and says there is more to come as he continues to learn from the Argentine.
“I think because I’m willing to learn, even though I’m 27, I know I can keep getting better and better. I’ve taken to the things he’s asked me to do. I haven’t mastered all of them obviously but I’m learning step by step. It’s one of those things where it’s no good being a full-on target man or just a poacher. You have to be an all-round striker. He’s developed my game a long way since working with him.”
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has revealed why he told Timo Werner off in their 2-0 victory over Everton on Monday evening.
The German has had a brilliant start at Stamford Bridge, winning eight of his first 11 matches in charge and remaining unbeaten in that time, with Leeds United next up on Saturday.
One player that Chelsea fans will be hoping to see improvements from under Tuchel is Werner, who arrived at Stamford Bridge from RB Leipzig in the summer.
CHEEKY PUNT: Cheeky tips Chelsea, Spurs wins and Man Utd draw
Despite some decent performances from Werner under Tuchel, the new Chelsea boss is still struggling to get the goal returns from the forward.
And against Everton the pitch-side microphones picked up Tuchel screaming at Werner as he told his compatriot off for playing on the wrong side of the pitch.
Tuchel was heard shouting: “Timo, Timo, for how long are you still going to play on the left? You must play on the right! You have been playing on the left for a quarter of an hour now. Don’t you understand it?”
And Tuchel says he was being “direct” and not “aggressive” towards Werner during the clash against Carlo Ancelotti’s men.
“It was very direct, and at the moment without spectators, things like this can get out there,” Tuchel told reporters on Friday. “I was aware [of the video] because people around me showed me.
“We reminded Timo to rejoin his position on the right because he was on the left too long. Switching positions is not a problem but we wanted Callum [Hudson-Odoi] on the left and Timo on the right side to make things easier for him. We reminded him but it was not an insult or aggressive. It was direct.
“I know what you mean but in the end, if it is respectful and not insulting each other [it is fine]. I have no problem with the players being direct to me and sometimes on the sideline, the coaches are in a game mode where things are direct and meant to be clear.
“Sometimes things are not pronounced in the most friendly or nice way. I agree but me and the players are in a game mode. I have the feeling that no one takes it too personally. It is about passing information. This is it.”
Arsenal need to back Mikel Arteta with “four or five” signings in the summer like they did when Arsene Wenger arrived at the club, according to Martin Keown.
The Spaniard has got rid of a lot of players who were prominent under Unai Emery with the likes of Mesut Ozil, Sokratis and Shkodran Mustafi all leaving the club recently.
Thomas Partey, Gabriel Magalhaes, Willian and Real Madrid loanee Martin Odegaard are the most notable new arrivals under Arteta this season.
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But Keown thinks Arsenal now need to back Arteta properly with another “four or five” top signings in the summer transfer window.
“That first big summer under Arsene when he brought in Marc Overmars, Patrick Vieira, Emmanuel Petit and Nicolas Anelka made a massive difference,” Keown told The Sun.
“Those arrivals gave a real boost to the core group of players who were already there and had won trophies in the past.
“Now we are looking at a parallel situation and this summer is going to be huge because they’ve got a lot of work to do to bring in the calibre of player they need to make the team competitive in the Premier League again. Ten senior players have left the club this season which has been quite a turnaround.
“He’s cleared out a lot of baggage from the Wenger and Unai Emery eras because Ozil, Mustafi and Sokratis have gone and Toreira, Guendouzi and Kolasinac have gone out on loan.
“That’s a lot for a young manager to take on board and he’s been quite direct in making those big decisions. But now he’s freed up the space in his squad and he can’t make any mistakes in the transfer market. He needs to bring in four or five this summer and the quality of player has to be absolutely top-drawer.”
Meanwhile, Arteta insists Arsenal midfielder Partey was not rushed back from injury and that they will see the best from the former Atletico Madrid man soon.
When asked if Partey was rushed back, Arteta said: “No, because he ticked every box to be able to play in that game.
“After every injury there is a risk for a period, whether it is five days, a week, two weeks or three weeks depending on the load that the player is exposed to.
“But it was a really specific action where he just overstretched the area going to the floor and got his foot trapped and then he felt it again. Before the game you cannot know that would have been the way.
“It would be easy to say, ‘Yes, we made a mistake’, but who would have known if he had played the next game or if he had come off the bench and played 30 minutes instead?”
Reaching 100 days and 1,230 miles into his epic Great British Swim tomorrow (8th September), Ross Edgley is starting the journey back down to the South Coast. He took a break to tell us about whales, sprinting past ferries and plans for the next 600 miles…
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220: So you’ve done 100 days at sea, Ross! How does that feel?
Ross: Well, it’s a weird landmark, 100 days, because there’s still so far to go! I think it’s like a lot of the things we’ve celebrated, for example when we did the South coast we were all like “yay!” because we only had to go up and round, then when we got to John O’Groats we were all like “yay!” again because then we only had to come all the way back down again… So now we’re all going “yay!” at 100 days but the funny thing is there’s still 600 miles to go!!
I’ve got such an amazing team and I think I speak for the whole team when I say the only thing we’ll celebrate from this point now will be arriving in Margate. By Open Water Swimming Federation rules, if we don’t touch Margate this entire swim will go down as a DNF! That would just be brutal!
220: Tell us about your highs and lows so far!
Ross: My high point was the Bristol Channel. I was swimming for about 10 miles and a giant Minke Whale guided me all the way to Wales! Me and the captain were talking and we realised the whale maybe thought I was an injured seal. It was so sweet. As soon as we got to Wales the whale kind of swum off, as if to say ‘ok, you’re safe now’. That was just amazing.
My low point… Probably the West coast of Scotland between Mull of Kintyre and Toblemory as it was between there I took the most jellyfish stings. That wasn’t pleasant!
220: What are you expecting next?
We’ve just done a huge mull in Scotland which was waaaay bigger than I thought it was! The next big hurdle is Peter’s Head which I’m told will make Dover look quite tame as we have to sprint across it when there’s a gap in the ships. The coastguards have been just amazing. They asked us “how quick is the swimmer, because it’s busy here”, and we said, well, if we have to sprint then we have to sprint! That’s an interesting point actually, because this challenge is a bit like triathlon in that we’ll have a game plan, but that all means nothing if you have to sprint because you’re about to get hit by a giant ferry! I can be like “yes, but I need to regulate my heart rate right now” and they’ll be like “NO. Just GO!” I’m looking forward to that, but only to get it out of the way…
Getting back to British waters is going to be amazing and going round Lincolnshire, which is home, I’m looking forward to… Then of course touching land in Margate!
Stats from Ross’s Swim So Far…
· 54 jellyfish stings
· One minke whale in the Bristol Channel
· One seven-metre basking shark sighting off the coast of Scotland
· Twelve dolphins spotted in the South Coast
· One seal spotted off the coast of Devon
· 1,230 miles covered
· 1,600,000 strokes completed
· 2,039 hours in the water
· 442 bananas
· 30.99 nautical miles (the highest distance covered in a single day)
· Three rolls of gaffer tape used to fix broken skin
· 8.7 knots top speed
· 1,250,000 calories burned
· Two kilograms of Vaseline for chaffing
· One freshly grown beard to try prevent more jellyfish stings!
Ross has broken a number of records since the Great British Swim began. By the end of June Ross had became the first ever person to swim the length of the English Channel. In mid-August he surpassed the world record for the Longest Staged Sea Swim of 73 days, set by Benoît Lecomte who swam across the Atlantic Ocean in 1998. Finally, last week he became the first ever Britain to swim the 900 mile journey from Lands’ End to John O’Groats in a record breaking 62 days.
Not one to shy away from a challenge, Ross has previously rope climbed the equivalent height (8,848m) of Mount Everest inside 24 hours, completed a triathlon with a tree strapped to his back, and completed a marathon whilst dragging a Mini Cooper!
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Follow Ross’s Great British Swim journey via live tracker at RedBull.co.uk/GreatBritishSwim and tune in to weekly vlogs at youtube.com/redbull
Reaching 100 days and 1,230 miles into his epic Great British Swim tomorrow (8th September), Ross Edgley is starting the journey back down to the South Coast. He took a break to tell us about whales, sprinting past ferries and plans for the next 600 miles…
Advertisement
220: So you’ve done 100 days at sea, Ross! How does that feel?
Ross: Well, it’s a weird landmark, 100 days, because there’s still so far to go! I think it’s like a lot of the things we’ve celebrated, for example when we did the South coast we were all like “yay!” because we only had to go up and round, then when we got to John O’Groats we were all like “yay!” again because then we only had to come all the way back down again… So now we’re all going “yay!” at 100 days but the funny thing is there’s still 600 miles to go!!
I’ve got such an amazing team and I think I speak for the whole team when I say the only thing we’ll celebrate from this point now will be arriving in Margate. By Open Water Swimming Federation rules, if we don’t touch Margate this entire swim will go down as a DNF! That would just be brutal!
220: Tell us about your highs and lows so far!
Ross: My high point was the Bristol Channel. I was swimming for about 10 miles and a giant Minke Whale guided me all the way to Wales! Me and the captain were talking and we realised the whale maybe thought I was an injured seal. It was so sweet. As soon as we got to Wales the whale kind of swum off, as if to say ‘ok, you’re safe now’. That was just amazing.
My low point… Probably the West coast of Scotland between Mull of Kintyre and Toblemory as it was between there I took the most jellyfish stings. That wasn’t pleasant!
220: What are you expecting next?
We’ve just done a huge mull in Scotland which was waaaay bigger than I thought it was! The next big hurdle is Peter’s Head which I’m told will make Dover look quite tame as we have to sprint across it when there’s a gap in the ships. The coastguards have been just amazing. They asked us “how quick is the swimmer, because it’s busy here”, and we said, well, if we have to sprint then we have to sprint! That’s an interesting point actually, because this challenge is a bit like triathlon in that we’ll have a game plan, but that all means nothing if you have to sprint because you’re about to get hit by a giant ferry! I can be like “yes, but I need to regulate my heart rate right now” and they’ll be like “NO. Just GO!” I’m looking forward to that, but only to get it out of the way…
Getting back to British waters is going to be amazing and going round Lincolnshire, which is home, I’m looking forward to… Then of course touching land in Margate!
Stats from Ross’s Swim So Far…
· 54 jellyfish stings
· One minke whale in the Bristol Channel
· One seven-metre basking shark sighting off the coast of Scotland
· Twelve dolphins spotted in the South Coast
· One seal spotted off the coast of Devon
· 1,230 miles covered
· 1,600,000 strokes completed
· 2,039 hours in the water
· 442 bananas
· 30.99 nautical miles (the highest distance covered in a single day)
· Three rolls of gaffer tape used to fix broken skin
· 8.7 knots top speed
· 1,250,000 calories burned
· Two kilograms of Vaseline for chaffing
· One freshly grown beard to try prevent more jellyfish stings!
Ross has broken a number of records since the Great British Swim began. By the end of June Ross had became the first ever person to swim the length of the English Channel. In mid-August he surpassed the world record for the Longest Staged Sea Swim of 73 days, set by Benoît Lecomte who swam across the Atlantic Ocean in 1998. Finally, last week he became the first ever Britain to swim the 900 mile journey from Lands’ End to John O’Groats in a record breaking 62 days.
Not one to shy away from a challenge, Ross has previously rope climbed the equivalent height (8,848m) of Mount Everest inside 24 hours, completed a triathlon with a tree strapped to his back, and completed a marathon whilst dragging a Mini Cooper!
Advertisement
Follow Ross’s Great British Swim journey via live tracker at RedBull.co.uk/GreatBritishSwim and tune in to weekly vlogs at youtube.com/redbull