Thank you for visiting my Just Giving Page

In August this year I will be attempting the iconic challenge of swimming the English Channel and will be collecting on behalf of the charity Arthritis Research UK.

As some of you may be aware our son Tommy, after several months of extensive hospital appointments and tests, was diagnosed with chronic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) last year. This condition affected Tommy's knees, ankles and fingers leaving him with inflamed, swollen and painful joints and unable to walk, until after treatment, until August 2011, just 3 months before his second birthday .

Moving forward, 2012 has been much more positive for us a family after a pretty tough 2011 and Tommy, although needing regular consultant check ups, physiotherapy appointments and blood tests, is currently in remission due to multiple steroid injections and the medication (Methotrexate) he is taking weekly. To use a quote from the late and great Bill McLaren he is now running around like a whirling dervish!! 

The charity I am supporting funds high class research into all forms of arthritis which is key for Tommy's condition as although the symptoms of JIA can, in most cases, be treated the experts still do not know what actually causes the condition. More information can be found on JIA and Arthritis Research UK at the following link:

http://www.arthritisresearchuk.org/arthritis-information/conditions/juvenile-idiopathic-arthritis.aspx

 

Right, now back to my swim.....

The concept is simple, walk off the beach on the south coast of England near Dover and keep swimming until you feel the rocks and sand of northern France. When you’re able to stand up you’re done.

Point to point the distance between Dover and cap Gris-Nez (the ideal landing spot in France) is 21 miles. However the tides are strong as the Atlantic funnels into the North Sea and then back again with the cycle of the moon. As a result swimmers generally track between 28 and 35 miles. You cannot compare pool swimming to sea swimming but distance wise it would be the equivalent of swimming 2,000 laps of your local pool..!!

The rules of engagement are quite strict as the governing bodies want to keep the challenge the same as when Captain Matthew Webb first completed the feat in 1875. To be an official channel swimmer you can only have a pair of Speedos, a hat and goggles. You coat yourself in concoction of vaseline and lanolin called 'Channel Grease' just prior to starting the challenge to try and limit any chaffing and to maintain some body heat for as long as possible.

I’ll be aiming for a time in the region of 14 hours although this will be massively dependent on the conditions on the day, this is what makes the channel so difficult. The water temperature in August when I’m doing the swim should be in the region of 15 - 16 C. So if dealing with the very busy shipping lanes, the often choppy conditions and the jellyfish (and other wildlife!) isn’t enough I’m likely to be hypothermic in the second half of the challenge when the Channel Grease has worn off..!!

I set myself a 500km training target in the 5 months leading up to the swim and I'm happy to say that is was met a full 3 weeks before the swim on the 20th July :). I'll update everone as to my progress and will also upload some photos and stories from my training swims and camps as they happen so keep checking this site for any new news.

Please wish me luck with my training and the swim and please donate to the worthwhile cause I am supporting.

Many thanks

Paul.