English Channel Relay Swim
Thursday 11th July 2024
UK
2912
English Channel Relay Swim
On 1st November 2022, my mum, Irene, died unexpectedly after a sudden deterioration of some long-term health conditions. She was 70 years old. Not only was she the most incredible mum, with a sharp wit and more kindness and patience than most of the family deserved, she was my best friend, confidante and most trusted advisor, ally and champion. I miss her more than words can express.
Two things got me through and continue to help me in this most difficult period of my life: the support of my close friends and family and an unexpected source of distraction in the form of Trafford Rowing Club.
I am extremely fortunate to have a wonderful group of friends and family who provided me with thoughtful support, from sending meals and flowers in the early days, attending the funeral and kind messages and phone calls to check in on me for the weeks and months following my mum's death. Not everyone is so lucky or feels able to open up to those around them and sometimes, there are practical matters you just need someone to guide you through. Cruse Bereavement Support offer brilliant resources for emotional and practical support and helplines run by volunteers for anyone dealing with loss. I'd like to make sure they can keep offering this vital service.
Trafford Rowing Club is a community amateur sports club in Sale. I was new to rowing in Summer 2021 and since then, my mum enjoyed / endured hearing about my many outings and largely unsuccessful races(!) and I know it made her happy to see me building a life back up North after 12 years of living in London. After she died, rowing gave me a much-needed distraction and the support of the members, in particular those in the Women's Squad, showed me exactly what Trafford Rowing Club is about. So I'd like to give back to that community by raising some funds to help us keep our fleet in good condition and get some desperately-needed space for us to better connect with each other where we are not at the mercy of the elements - in a basic clubhouse with our own toilets, a seating area and a small training space.
To convince you to part with your cash, I'm doing something that would make my mum shake her head and say "Ohhh, Kim...what are you doing that for?!"...I'm taking part in a 4-person team relay swim across the English Channel between 11th and 19th July 2024. I have paid for the swim myself so 100% of what you donate goes to these great causes. This short poem explains why this feels like a fitting challenge to raise money for these two special causes.
Grief is like the ocean;
It comes on waves ebbing and flowing,
Sometimes the water is calm,
And sometimes it is overwhelming,
All we can do is learn to swim.
(Vikki Harrison)
Let's hope for calm waters on the day!
Thank you for your generosity and support.
Cold Feet!
I had been dreading Saturday for the last three weeks. I'm confident in my ability to swim for an hour several times in a row, but I really hate being cold! And Saturday was the day I started my cold water acclimatisation journey.
Our core body temperature is meant to stay at a toasty 37 degrees. In July, the English Channel water temperature is likely to be around 15 degrees. The good news is that our bodies are made to do incredible things and we can train them to cope with the unimaginable. And unimaginable was the order of the day on Saturday - the water at Sale Water Park was a chilly 10.7 degrees. The vast majority of swimmers were wearing full wetsuits, while I hovered around the entry point in my normal swimming costume (wetsuits are not permitted in Channel Swimming as they are a buoyancy aid). I had a lot of comments from others about "being brave" and nods of what I can only imagine was either sympathy or pity from wetsuited swimmers taking the plunge ahead of me.
So what did I learn from it?
- The first step is painful!
Water that cold can actually hurt, especially on your extremities. To me, it felt like my feet were being stabbed with hundreds of tiny needles. Once you get over the initial discomfort, getting to waist depth is actually alright though! - Sometimes you need a gentle but direct nudge.
I kept waiting and waiting and waiting to go from waist depth to full immersion...waiting for what, I'm not sure! I'd built the next stage up to be as painful as the first step, despite the fact that going from ankle to waist depth had been absolutely fine. I'd got cold feet - literally and figuratively!
Jane, who runs OpenSwim at Sale Water Park, is an experienced Channel Swimmer. She came over to me and said "You're just getting cold now and it's going to affect your ability to swim when you get fully in if you leave it much longer.". She gave me some advice about my breathing and within 30 seconds, I was swimming a gentle breaststroke and handling the initial cold water shock well. - Bad habits return quickly when you're distracted.
Having looked at a few seconds of video footage of my swim, I can see the return of some freestyle technique issues I've been working hard to eradicate over the last two months. I know I'll need to do many more hours of practice to keep that technique in check. - Although having goals can be useful, taking the pressure off allows you to concentrate on what you're doing in the moment.
15 minutes of cold water immersion, 10 of which were swimming freestyle, was a good result for me. Although I could have stayed in for longer, I left feeling in control and like I could do it again in a few days' time. It's a marathon, not a spring and at this stage, for me at least, it's more about pushing your mind closer to its limit than your body. - People want you to succeed.
Everyone around me gave me words of encouragement or joked with me to help me on my way. Most of these people were complete strangers, some experienced open water swimmers and some were fellow newbies. But everyone genuinely seemed to want to help in whatever way they could.
I think there are some life lessons hidden amongst all that!
More to come when I hit the next milestone in my training...
0 likes3 months to go...
This time in 3 months, it's possible I'll be somewhere in the middle of the English Channel 😬
For those of you who I haven't bored to tears with the details of how a channel swim relay works, here goes...
The first thing you should know, is that to count as an official Channel Swim crossing, wetsuits are not permitted as they are a buoyancy aid. So we will be swimming in standard swimwear and will be at the mercy of the elements, chilly water temperature (expected to be somewhere between 14 and 18 degrees Celsius) and the wildlife, including jellyfish!
I will be swimming in a team of 4 and will be on standby from 11th July ready to set off from Dover. We have a window between 11th to 19th July in which to make our attempt. Our decision to set off will largely lie with our support boat pilot - an experienced sailor who knows the tides, currents, winds and weather conditions of the Channel exceptionally well.
Once the decision to make our attempt has been made, our team of 4 board the support boat and get taken to a nearby beach, which marks the formal starting point. Cruelly, the boat isn't able to take us up to the shoreline, so the unfortunate person who is designated as our first swimmer must swim from the boat to the beach and stand clear of the water. Only then does the attempt (and the clock!) actually start.
Swimmer 1 will swim for an hour, in close proximity to the support boat, who will navigating the tides, currents, weather and traffic. They will be looking out for our safety at all times. At the end of the first Swimmer 1's hour, Swimmer 2 jumps off the boat behind Swimmer 1. Only once they've overtaken (no contact between swimmers allowed) does Swimmer 1 head over to the boat, climb aboard and try to rest and warm up. Swimmer 2 then passes the virtual baton to Swimmer 3, Swimmer 3 to Swimmer 4 and Swimmer 4 back to Swimmer 1. That cycle continues until we get to France! The final twist is that, just like at the start, the boat isn't able to get to the shoreline, so the swimmer who completes the crossing has to swim to the beach, stand clear of the water...and then swim back to the boat.
If anyone is unable or unwilling to complete their full hour at any point or get back in the water when it's their turn, the attempt can continue, but must be without that team member and effectively turns into a team of 3 for the remainder of the swim. So it's all about the team...just like it is at Trafford Rowing Club (pictured above before a race earlier this year)!
1 likesSupporters 24
-
E5 hours, 9 minutes
Emma
A wonderful cause. Best of luck with the swim Kim!! X x x
£ 100.00 (+£25.00)
-
G3 days, 10 hours
Gillian and Nigel Hill
Good luck for swimming the channel, hope it's not too rough
£ 50.00 (+£12.50)
-
B5 days, 2 hours
Bill Davis
Good luck Kim, hopefully it will be warmer when you do the swim in July 👍
£ 100.00 (+£25.00)
-
A1 week, 5 days
Amy, Dom & the boys
Go dude go! So pleased you are doing this. And for great causes. Your mum undoubtedly would be proud x
£ 50.00 (+£12.50)
-
K1 week, 5 days
Kate & Mike
Your endeavour is so impressive, Kim. We’re both in awe of what you’re doing. If you’d like to acclimatise to channel temperatures in sunny Bournemouth, we’d love to see you. Wishing you smooth (and warm) waters all the way.
£ 50.00 (+£12.50)
-
S2 weeks, 2 days
Sue & Paul
Good luck Kim, such an amazing challenge and know you will smash it !
You have such strength and courage and so proud of you !!
Your story made me cry and your mum will be so proud of you as always
Go girl ! Lots of love xxx£ 50.00 (+£12.50)
-
H1 month
Helen C
Amazing Kim - you are super inspiring and also clearly a little bit crazy! 💚
£ 10.00
-
R1 month
Ruth
Good luck Kim - what an awesome challenge for great causes. My first reaction was similar to what Irene's would be but similar to her I also know you have the determination and courage to succeed ❤️
$ 150.00
-
B1 month
Beki
A fantastic set of reasons to part with cash, Kim! Along with another reason to be so proud (and impressed!) of my friend ❤️ I hope the swim goes well and you continue to *channel* Becky Addlington!
£ 100.00 (+£25.00)
Choose Currency
It looks like you are outside of the UK.
Select USD
Note, as only UK residents are able to make Gift Aid donations, you will not have the option to add Gift Aid when donating in a currency other than GBP.