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Glenn Wilson's Channel Challenge, June 2015
25/05/2015
One of the Dolphins, Glenn Wilson is taking on a new challenge this year - The English Channel!
Please head on over to Glenn's Blog site; https://channelchallenge2015.wordpress.com to check out all his preparation so far & challenges ahead.
Some excerpts from Glenn's blog;
"I have been swimming for over 35 years now and have have many great experiences along the way. But it still feels like my swimming journey is not quite complete – something about conquering that big challenge that almost seems unachievable. That test of mind and body that pushes you to your absolute limits, emerging on the other side with a sense of accomplishment like no other.
Ever since hearing about the existence of the English Channel it has been something which has intrigued and excited me. Perhaps it’s the fact that my dad is English and there is a loose link to our family heritage, or perhaps it’s just the enormity of the challenge. Only around 110 Australian’s have every managed to cross (many multiple times) which less than the number that have climbed Mt. Everest! Setting off before dawn and swimming directly into the sunrise, weaving in and out of the freight and passenger ships like a real life game of Frogger, making sure you take in enough energy to be able to complete it, and stepping foot on French soil all appeal.
Either way, I have decided to swim it and am now booked in for the neap tide between 22-29 June 2015. For those that don’t know much about the Channel, it is the stretch of ocean between England and France which is one of the worlds busiest shipping thoroughfares. The shortest distance between the two land masses is 33.7km however due to the tides and currents, a typical swim is between 40-45km as can be seen by the map below."
and from May 2014...
"I’m currently swimming around 25km a week which is a good base to come off however this will most certainly increase in the coming months. The key for me will be acclimatising to cold water temperatures and the current aim is to do three swims per week in the Bay until mid-late June when the water temperature drops right off. I will then aim for two swims per week until September, then back up to three after that, throwing in several longer duration swims to practice feeding and test the body."