• I grew up with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis since 11 years old. I inject myself with strong Immunosuppressants (Adalimumab or Amgevita) every fortnight to keep it in remission. I also have Enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA) and regular flare-ups of Uveitis.

• I will Swim the English Channel Solo (England to France 🇫🇷🏊🏽‍♂️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿) around September 2025, a 34km-42km swim with no wetsuit in 15°C-18°C waters. 2,608 people have swum The English Channel Solo.

• I will be the first known person to swim the English Channel Solo with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis according to the CSA and CSPF: CSPF Solo Channel Swims Database.

• The swim and all expenses are paid for out of my personal pocket; 100% of donations go directly to Versus Arthritis, the same charity that help me and my parents through Arthritis. This is a cause very close to my heart.

• I’m involved in the Arthritis Community, giving speeches at the UCLH Town Hall, as well as attend meetings, annual Away Days, a Webinar with Dr Sen at Woodbridge High School about growing up with JIA. YouTube Channel (subscribe to keep up to date). I have done two podcasts, one on Arthur's Place; Arthur's Heroes. Arthur's Place is a charity and network for young adults with Arthritis.

• Movement is critical to remission, which is a chicken-and-egg because auto-immune diseases limit many sports, however, Drs and Physios recommend swimming. This non-weight bearing, non-impact, non-contact sport should be celebrated more. Cold-water swimming is immunity-boosting too! Swimming offers longevity and strength! The Channel is the pinnacle of Open Water Swimming. My Channel Solo could inspire any patient with limited mobility to get into a pool or lido. The Channel is my goal... what's your Channel Swim?

Sky News Interview (at the Serpentine Christmas Race) about my English Channel Solo Journey with Arthritis (skip to 10:43):

Arthur's Place: Arthur's Heroes Podcast: https://arthursplace.co.uk/podcasts/

The English Channel Solo 🇫🇷🏊🏽‍♂️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿:

In September 2025, I’ll be taking on one of the toughest solo challenges: swimming the English Channel in nothing but skins, fully adhering to CSA rules—no wetsuit, no touching the boat, non-stop. The journey from England to France spans 34km-42km (or 21 miles point to point), which can take between 7 to 29 hours to finish. Fewer people have swum an English Channel Solo than have climbed Mount Everest, and it’s the busiest shipping lane in the world.

What’s in store? Cold waters (15°C-18°C), pitch-black night swims, unpredictable weather, powerful tides that can double the distance, stinging jellyfish, and random debris. I’ll be eating while swimming, because stopping is not an option. And the start time? I won’t know until the night before—my launch window could be 3 AM or 3 PM, at the mercy of the tides.

The swim is brutal and isolating—no scenic views, no clear finish line—but it’s a team effort. My pilot, Andy King, and my crew will be crucial, keeping me safe, fuelled, motivated, and occasionally, they’ll even swim alongside me when things get tough.

In the last year, The Channel has penetrated pop-culture. Disney's Young Woman and the Sea in 2024 starring Daisy Ridley (box office $1.9m) and Vindication Swim in 2024 are stories of the first two heroic women to solo The Channel against all odds. Netflix's Nyad in 2023 starring Jodie Foster and Annette Bening whilst not The Channel, but still an Open Water Swim alludes to The Channel twice. To understand the magnitude of this effort, give these three incredible films a watch; very entertaining!

This is the Dover Coaster, a true test of endurance and grit. Man in the Arena and Daring Greatly Volume 4!

Fundraising 💰:

100% of donations go directly to Versus Arthritis, the same charity that helped me and my parents through Arthritis. The swim and all its expenses are paid for out of my personal pocket. I have paid for the Pilot fees, CSA admin fees, accommodation, travel, crew costs, coaching, training, camps etc, which all in is around £7,500. My target is based on exceeding the amount I’ve paid for this journey to Versus Arthritis. Please donate generously!

From Crutches to Kilometres:

Adolescence:

I have suffered with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) from the age of 11. I limped when I could walk; when I couldn’t, I relied on crutches. My hips throbbed, my knees swelled, and my ankle often ballooned to the size of a tennis ball. As Idiopathic implies, little is known about the autoimmune disease, so it frustratingly went undiagnosed for two exhausting years at the age of 13. Once diagnosed and in the hands of Dr Sen and GOSH, I had a glimmer of hope and relief. But still, imagine the pain of telling your friends that everything is normal even-though they can clearly see your struggle. I could never open up… the insecurity and shame that I had an old person’s disease… Arthritis. Arthritis stole my passion for football; sitting out every PE class felt like watching my dreams drift away. At my local state-school, I kept my head down, trying to stay invisible and focused on what I could control: my studies and my physio.

Adulthood:

At 17, the Arthritis went into remission. For some years, I lead a normal life. No meds. No pain. Yet, I had never truly come to terms with my past.

Unfortunately, at 24, I had a chronic relapse with inflammation in my knees and ankle. How could I survive another 5 years of Arthritis? Would my body even be able to recover this time? I would not accept this. I adopted the mindset of what I call “Deluded Positivity”. I sorted my medication and insoles immediately. When the Physio set exercises for three times a day, I'd do them ten times. I focused on nutrition. I focused on sleep. I focused on meditation. I focused on handling stress with positive visualisations and journaling. Anything and everything to control the inflammation.

Even though this was tough, this was one of the best things that ever happened for me. This instilled persistence; discipline; hope. These values are now embedded into my identity. I got stronger and more focused and learnt the only thing you can absolutely control is how you react to things out of your control. Fast-forward a gruelling year and a half later, I was back in the gym, starting from zero, with a new, upgraded mindset.

Athens Marathon (From Crutches to Kilometers Pt 1) 🏃🏽‍♂️:

Past Athens Marathon Just Giving Page

Being the “Man In The Arena”, vulnerable, and open; accepting my past, improving my present, and crafting my future of living with this disease changed everything. It shifted me from “I can lead an ordinary life when I am in remission” to “I can lead an extraordinary life when I put my mind to something”. Raising money for the same charity that helped me through Arthritis was a euphoric feeling. Acceptance, being of service, and having the discipline to finish a marathon are my greatest achievements despite everything else I’ve accomplished.

Pre-Marathon, I had a recurring nightmare every now and then of bullies chasing me. The stiffness and lack of mobility from Arthritis made me feel like I was trying run through syrup; slow and janky. Post-Marathon, I've never had this dream! Subconsciously, this Marathon has transformed my confidence levels.

From Aches to Achievements; Ironman (3.9km Swim, 180km Cycle, 42.2km Run):

I spent two years working towards Ironman; I bought my first bike as an adult and hit the pool for the first time since I was a kid. I met some wonderful people along the way at the Ful-On Tri Club; special shout-outs to Courtney and Artur. I completed my first Half Ironman in 2022 in Barcelona with two wonderful Lithuanians. I did two Ful-On Tri camps and two more Half Ironmans. I had flare-ups (Uveitis), I had injuries (knees and shoulders), but nothing that could stop me from completing the Full Ironman in Italy in 12hrs 59mins 40secs. The distance still haunts me, and I still pinch myself that I managed to complete the pinnacle of endurance racing!

Make Your Mess Your Message 📣:

I did a talk for University College Hospital (UCLH) with Dr Sen’s and Dr Bourari’s team in 2023; Dr Sen’s team have helped me through Arthritis since I was 13 years old. The first talk was a recorded speech at the UCLH Town Hall (watch full video speech) for adolescents and young adults with Rheumatic diseases. The Town Hall event was organised by the Adolescent and Young Adult Rheumatology Team at UCLH. The Town Hall meeting aimed to give young people a voice in setting research and improvement strategies and to create opportunities to build a community amongst young people with rheumatic diseases. I attended and spoke at an annual away day with Drs and patients. I contribute to PPIE meetings which helps break down mental barriers patients thought wasn’t possible. And attend the Rheumatology Team's Hangout Space too, which lets patients Meet, Connect, and Learn. It is a rewarding yet weird, blurry, imposter-syndrome feeling working with the same Doctors who have treated you as a child. I have done two podcasts, one on Arthur's Place; Arthur's Heroes. Arthur's Place is a charity and network for young adults with Arthritis that devotes making digital resources accessible and fun in a world of dull, hard to digest Medical journals. I recorded a 15 minute Webinar for a High School, hosted by one of the Lead Rheumatologists in the UK. We covered how JIA impacted me in school, how pupils and teachers can make life easier for fellow students living with auto-immune diseases, and how it is possible to live an (extra)ordinary life once in remission, completing Ironman and attempting the Channel.

Luke’s Seas, Lakes, & Straits (2024) 🏊🏽‍♂️:

In 2024, I have continued to push my athletic abilities. My longest swim in the iconic Windermere; 18.5km in water temp: 15.5°C-16°C in Skins (non-wetsuit), where I came 3rd in my category 🥉(Chillswim race). Windermere is the quintessential British test before an English-Channel Solo.

My hardest swim was Ullswater; 14.1km in Water Temp: 13.8°C-15.5°C in Skins (non-wetsuit) (Chillswim). 16km Dock2Dock in skins where I came 2nd in my category 🥈. And swimming cross-continents, from Asia To Europe in the Bosphorus Strait (Luke's Bosphorus Serpentine Blog-post). And my first 10km with SwimTrek. My final pre-English Channel challenge will be a Jersey to France Solo in July 2025; my Granny lived on Sark so I have a special relationship with The Channel Islands.

As Windermere is the quintessential test before an English-Channel Solo at exactly half the distance in similar temperatures or colder, I am in a great place. In 2024, I have shed my imposter syndrome (as I’ve only been swimming seriously since 2022) and shifted my belief from “this may be possible” to “with a good weather window, this is possible”. I will solo swim Jersey to France in 2025, as well as swim the English Channel.

I did a 10 min talk at the Serpentine Long Swims Night in 2025 about my Lake District swims; Ullswater, Windermere, Coniston: https://serpentineswimmingclub.com/news/51310/ssc-long-swims-night-2025 my video is above.

Present Day:

I may look 100% healthy, but here's what you don't see… I currently inject myself with a strong immunosuppressant pen (Amgevita, Adalimumab) every fortnight (which can have nasty side-effects) and take DMARDs (Sulfasalazine) twice a day. I still see Dr Sen’s team regularly; I still have mandatory MRI scans, and I must have mandatory blood tests every three months to have my medication prescribed. I’ve accepted this is something I will have to live with for the rest of my life. I regularly get Uveitis, an inflammation flare-up of the eyes (anything with the suffix -itis is inflammation related). In 2024, I had four flare-ups. If I overexert myself, I tend to get Uveitis (eg after intense Triathlon or Swimming camps). I control stress via meditation, nutrition, manually monitoring my HRV, sleep, and yoga.

I am not cured... the Arthritis is in remission… but I am OK with that. I am happy. I have confronted my past, whilst raising awareness for a higher purpose. Everything past the Athens Marathon is a bonus. I have nothing to prove now. If Arthritis came back permanently, I am satisfied. However… why stop here? Why not continue to prove Neuroplasticity? Why not continue to focus on my six pillars: sleep, exercise, nutrition, stress management, breath-work, community?

Purpose:

I don’t want anyone with Arthritis, child or adult, to lead my hopeless Adolescence story. It is far too easy to spiral into pity. I want them to lead my Adulthood story, with optimism, hope, and grit. But to do that, they need the right medication and support to get into remission. Versus Arthritis is a charity that helps with researching new medication and have an online community to help tackle Arthritis together. VA is why I can swim, cycle, run, and why I can fund-raise.

Sports are vital to leading a healthy lifestyle; movement is critical to remission, which is a chicken-and-egg because auto-immune diseases limit many sports. But swimming; a non-contact, non-impact, non-weight-bearing sport that Physios recommend should be celebrated. The Channel is the pinnacle of Open-Water. Cold water immersion is proven to boost your immune system, I was a fan of Wim Hof since 2019. My Triathlon shelf-life could be cut short, but there will always be longevity in swimming. As with strength training; if I'd known how great power-lifting motions (with light-weights) are for your body as a teen, I'd have been motivated to do more. There are social norms for men to be physically strong and athletic, which holistically impacts confidence mentally. If I had not been so fixed on Football in my adolescence, I could have found other passions sooner... but that starts with role-models. My Channel Solo could inspire any patient with limited mobility to get into a pool or lido. The Channel is my goal... what's your Channel Swim?

I want to lead by example for kids with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis and prove what can be achieved with perseverance, discipline, and hope when in remission. It is possible to lead an extra-ordinary, happy, inspiring life…

From crutches to kilometres... this is me... vulnerably... continuing to… dare greatly ⚔️

Follow My Story:

In 2023, I did a talk for juveniles and adolescents at the UCLH Hospital Town Hall, see below:

YouTube Shorts: https://www.youtube.com/@FromCrutchesToKilometers/shorts

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@FromCrutchesToKilometers (...and subscribe if you want to keep up to date)

Arthur's Place Charity: Arthur's Heroes Podcast: https://arthursplace.co.uk/podcasts/

Serpentine Swimming Club's Long Swims Nights Talks: My Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-Nv3w5hjBU and all the event's talks: https://serpentineswimmingclub.com/news/51310/ssc-long-swims-night-2025

Blog: Luke's Bosphorus Serpentine Blog-post

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lukebswims (lbelfield360)

Luke’s Seas, Lakes, & Straits (2024) 🏊🏽‍♂️:

• Windermere - 18.5km on watch - 7hrs 50mins swim in Water Temp: 15.5°C-16°C in Skins. (ChillSwim Windermere), 02:33min/100m pace. 7°C air temp at start. 07hrs 19mins moving time, 02:22min/100m moving pace (important as self-sufficient in tow float, carrying 2x bottles, and over 15 pastries). 3rd 🥉 in my category: Male 30-34 Skins.

• Dock2Dock - 15km, 16km on watch - 6hrs 21mins swim in Water Temp: 16°C-16.8°C in Skins - 02:23min/100m pace. 8°C air temp at start. 2nd 🥈 in my category: Male 31-35 Skins. 26% DNF rate.

• Lake Ullswater - 14.1km on watch - 5hrs 41mins swim in Water Temp: 13.8°C-15.5°C in Skins. (ChillSwim Ullswater), 02:25min/100m pace. 21% DNF rate.

• 11.914km. 4hrs 49mins. 2:26min/100m. Skins.

• Coniston – 5.25 miles - 3hrs 12mins swim in Water Temp: 16.6° in Skins. 02:14min/100m. (ChillSwim Coniston). 2nd 🥈 in my category, Male 30-34 Skins.

• Asia to Europe Swim - Bosphorus Strait - 01:00min/100m, 6.5km, 1hr 4mins.

• 3hrs 12mins swim in Water Temp: 13.9°C-14.5°C. Skins.

• 3hrs 3mins swim in Water Temp: 14.5°C-14.9°C. Skins.

Note: Skins means Non-Wetsuit. All above were skins!