Ah, the Endurance issue, 68 pages celebrating the pain and pleasure of marathon swimming. What other sport calls for liberal amounts of Vaseline, sleep deprivation and counting your strokes – all while wearing just a pair of tiny trunks and a latex hat. Sounds like a good Saturday night out. Oh, and did I mention that you might need a boat and support crew – and I don’t mean a cruise liner and Jane McDonald blasting out ballads over the tannoy. Although with the cost of hiring a boat for an English Channel swim, I would insist on Jane McDonald feeding me peaches and maltodextrin while singing The Winner Takes It All dressed in a sequined frock and full make-up.
Of course, the thing with long distance swimming is that it takes A LOT of training. You can’t just turn up at Dover beach with your sandwiches in a waterproof bag slung around your neck and set off swimming to France. A successful marathon swim, whether a 10km swim or a Channel crossing, is the result of hours – often years – spent in the pool and open water, honing your body to the peak of physical perfection. As you train, imagine yourself crossing that finish line or touching land after hours of valiantly battling waves and currents. Imagine that feeling of success and achievement.