In the third of the monthly blog series, Poetic Brands’ Anne Bradford updates us on the team’s continued preparations for The English Channel Relay Swim 2022, in aid of The Light Fund.
Come Hell or High Water
I think it’s fair to say that the enormity of what we have taken on has started to hit home for many of the team. It certainly has for me! As documented in earlier blogs, this challenge is not for the faint hearted or to be under estimated by anyone who has signed up to participate.
It’s one thing to swim up and down in a pool but the difference between this and open water is huge. Most people gravitate towards open water in the security of a wetsuit. Take another giant leap into the sea while losing said security of the wetsuit and the experience is non-comparable. I personally love open water swimming in lakes but realised when I did the qualifier that apart from the odd dip in a hot, holiday, seaside destination I had never actually ‘swum’ in the sea. I’m not going to lie … I wasn’t entirely sold on it on a cold beach in the UK!
Earlier this month I was following another relay team on social media watching their attempt to swim the channel and was somewhat alarmed to see a swimmer literally thrown away from the support boat in just three massive rolling waves. There was no doubt that she was a strong swimmer, but no matter how much she was powering forwards she was actually being swept sideways and there was absolutely nothing that she could do about it.
Needless to say, their attempt was cut short as the conditions which were impossible to contend with and many of the team succumbing to seasickness.
In the same week another hugely experienced swimming team were curtailed hours into another challenge due to seasickness with one swimmer being so sick on the support boat they were rendered unconscious.
There are weeks where training is incredible and everything feels amazing. You get into the lake on a beautiful morning as the sun is rising, it’s a balmy 22 degrees and all is well with the world. In a heartbeat these conditions can change and that 5.30am start turns into torrential rain with winds churning the water up into waves.
Those positive mantras of ‘my core is my strength’ and ‘bubble bubble breath’ go out of the window and you are left swimming along thinking “is there a way that I can actually breathe without inhaling more lake?” The life buoy that is supposed to be there to save you is constantly smacking into the back of your head as the wind is so strong and you are left thinking “remind me again why I signed up for this?”
Add to the mix some curve balls thrown our way and July has not disappointed, rapidly establishing itself as the month that just kept giving. It has been extraordinarily challenging both mentally and physically for many of the team and yet the spirit, strength and courage displayed in the face of adversity is what will see us through this crazy crusade.
Sir Gripper (Mark Kingston) kicked things off and was unlucky enough to test positive for Covid which left him out of the water for a couple of weeks.
Whereas most normal people would probably take some time to rest and recover, he was back training as soon as he was allowed out and went on to swim at the Henley Swim Festival with War Child (Jason Goonery).
Churchill (Rob Corney) required surgery to fix a triple Hernia, rendering him out of action for the next couple of months.
Having seen the tenacity and mental focus that Rob displayed during the London to Paris row in 2019, there is no doubt in my mind that we will be seeing him back in the water as soon as he has recuperated and is able to do so.
Colonel Sanders (Terry Lamb) has also had to dramatically look at the way that he can approach this challenge with some bigger hurdles than most to content with after he was struck down with an Auto Immune condition last year. With only 75% lung capacity remaining due to 25% being irrevocably affected, he has had to slowly build up his training which has been incredibly frustrating for him given the amount of sport that he participated in prior to this condition.
However, in talking to him last week it became apparent that he already has a very impressive training routine underway and is building up to be able to undertake his qualifying swim in September. There is no doubt in my mind that he will not only achieve this qualifier, but will be joined by other members of the team to ensure that he has the comradery to get through it.
For me, also not the best of starts to the month. Some people who know me will be aware that a few years back I had to have surgery due to a breast cancer scare (for those who don’t know me… you now know a whole lot more about me than when you started to read this blog!).
I was incredibly fortunate post-surgery and after being monitored for a couple of years was discharged in 2020. However, after training had started in earnest all was not well and I had to accept that I was going to revisit my consultant. Around about the same time I also got a really bad ear infection and training ground to an abrupt halt.
Knowing that you can’t let anyone down is what will consistently drive all of us through the forthcoming months. I returned to Durley Chine and swam the qualifier for a second time with more members of the team, while not being in the best of places with impending hospital appointments and an ear infection.
Lessons learnt … you are far more likely to get sea sick with an ear infection but it is also a common occurrence on these challenges both while swimming and on the boat. 30 minutes of vomiting during a 90-minute swim is not an experience that I would recommend. Following more mammograms and checks my consultant has confirmed that unfortunately swimming aggravates the previous surgery site and it’s something that I will have to get used to.
The good news is that its definitely not anything more innocuous so now it’s full steam ahead with pain killers a plenty. With all of the scenarios that have been shared it’s clear for everyone that the main focus is being on top form. This already does and will continue to involve a huge amount of commitment and training.
Everyone wants to make the final 12 people that will be racing to France next year. When I was sat in hospital waiting for results my mind was going through various what ifs. Mentally calculating that should surgery be required again how long would it be until I could be back in the water.
It is incredibly important that the 12 people that are selected are 100% up to doing the job and will have worked so hard for it. In turn this is not going to be an easy job for our leader Wee Hof (Stephen Gould) to make the final selection, but he has a great deal of experience and knows first-hand how difficult the end goal is and the factors that can affect this. He continues to lead and inspire us all, having competed in a multitude of events over the past month resulting in some rather impressive podium places and racing against celebrities in the Henley Swim Festival. He finished the month off nicely with a rather impressive and successful team relay from Jersey to France.
Beaver (Simon Gresswell), Iron Maiden (Katie Price) and Toto (Tasmyn Knight) all successfully competed in the Club to Pub event at Henley along with Sir Gripper, Wee Hof and myself a couple of weeks ago and momentum is building as the team comes together.
This month has made me acutely aware of why we do the things that we do and take on these challenges. The whole team has a story to tell. Many of us have spent time in hospital having tests, surgery, experiencing first-hand the emotion, heartache and despair at times that this carries. All of us whether on this challenge or within our licensing community will have been there for a family member, a friend or colleague experiencing what they are dealing with wishing that there was more that we could do to help.
The Light Fund has reached so many people over the years and with your support we will be able to help so many more. With charities being hit hard over the past year it is more important than ever for us to raise a truly significant amount of money to enable us achieve and exceed our target for this challenge. You don’t even have to dip your toe into the water! We are merely asking you to dig deep into your pocket or reach out to one of the team if you would like to sponsor one of the event categories and help us achieve our goal.
There is no doubt that we will rise and fall throughout this challenge like the waves that surround us.
Training will ebb and flow like the tide and we will navigate our way through the debris however it presents.
One thing for certain is that we are at the mercy of Mother Nature both in the water and out of it but have no doubt … we are going to be giving her a run for her money!
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The English Channel Relay Swim in aid of The Light Fund is due to take place between 30 June and 3 July, 2022. For full details on the sponsorship opportunities, you can contact Stephen Gould, Mark Kingston, Simon Gresswell or Anne Bradford by clicking on their respective names. Everything you need to know about the swim can also be found by clicking here.
