Track Ross Edgley's attempt at the world's longest continuous swim

Ross Edgley to attempt the world’s longest continuous swim record

Think that your triathlon swim is a long way? Then be thankful that for most of us, the longest standard triathlon distance we will swim (if doing an iron) is only 3.8km. For adventurer, sports scientist and triathlete Ross Edgley, the goal is a little further – a whopping 170km.

As of this afternoon (Friday 14th July 2023) and the time of writing, Ross is almost 33 hours and 67km in to his swim. The goal is 170km, which will see Edgley beat the previous record of 168.3km.

As a ‘continuous’ swim record, as opposed to a ‘staged’ swim record, this means that Ross may not leave the water or touch the land or a boat during the challenge.

The swim is taking place in Lake Trasimeno in Italy and you can use the live tracker to follow Ross’s progress over the weekend.

First attempt halted

Edgley’s first attempt took place in Loch Ness in September 2022, during which he swam for 59 hours and approximately 79km before being pulled from the challenge on medical grounds.

Health concerns relating to cellulitis, caused by a wetsuit rash (none of us will forget the gruesome photos!) and hypothermia saw that first attempt halted.

This time, a warmer location and swimming without a wetsuit should remove both of those risk factors, plus Edgley has been working with experts at Phd Nutrition on his fuelling and on developing a leaner physique ready for the swim.

Speaking ahead of the challenge, Ross Edgley said, “I learnt a lot of lessons in 2022 at Loch Ness but everything is coming together for me this time round. It’s going to be the toughest thing I’ve done so far but it’s looking positive and I’m feeling great this time around.

“I’m excited, world record attempt number two and nine months since leaving the hospital. This will officially be the longest, unassisted, non-stop, open water swim in history, and will all be done in the name of ocean conservation as we finish what we started in Loch Ness, Scotland.”

So far, so good…

The signs so far are that Edgley is having a strong swim. Setting a steady but solid pace of around 3km per hour in water temperatures of 27.6°C and with air temperatures synonamous with the heat wave currently being experienced across Europe (33°C by mid-afternoon) hypothermia may not be a key risk, but Edgley will have to keep a close eye on his hydration and nutrition strategies.

Ross’s preparation was detailed in a blog where he shared how he prepared by focussing on macro and micro-nutrients. But with the change of location also came a change in physique.

“The very last area of my sports nutrition that I focused on was body composition and fat loss,” said Edgley. “This is because the water temperature in the previous swim in Loch Ness, Scotland, was 7°C (44.6°F) which is why I bulked up to 105kg (231lbs) to add layers of fat and insulation to protect me from the cold.

“Granted, it turns out I needed more, since hypothermia still found a way to take me out. But for this next swim, we are changing locations to the sun-soaked lakes of Italy all in the hope I can create a leaner, faster and more streamlined physique and (hopefully) hypothermia doesn’t find me again.

“Although I don’t have a specific target weight in mind, I am finding that 86kg (189lbs) moves efficiently through the water.”

In November 2016 — on the Caribbean island of Nevis — Ross Edgley became the first person to do an Olympic-distance triathlon carrying a 100lb tree. It was to raise awareness of Nevis' mission to become the first carbon-neutral island. — In November 2016 — on the Caribbean island of Nevis — Ross Edgley became the first person to do an Olympic-distance triathlon carrying a 100lb tree. It was to raise awareness of Nevis’ mission to become the first carbon-neutral island.

Swimming round Great Britain

Numerous sports challenges have seen Edgley transform his body in the name of endurance and sports science as well as environmental awareness – such as famously dragging a 45kg tree through a triathlon (the ‘tree-athlon’) to raise awareness of the island of Nevis’s goal to becoome carbon-neutral.

Edgley is perhaps best known though for being the first (and so far, only) person to swim the circumference of Great Britain in the ‘Great British Swim’, a staged 1,792 mile swim which took 157 days in 2018.

Ross Edgley finishes the Great British Swim after 157 days at sea. Image: 220/Gavin Parish — Ross Edgley finishes the Great British Swim after 157 days at sea. (Credit: 220/Gavin Parish)

Aiming to finish

With Ross hoping to finish early next week, you can keep an eye on how he is getting on via the live tracker. Plus, we’ll be speaking to the man himself next week to find out how it all went – and to pick up any tips for any other triathletes hoping to go (a little bit) beyond the standard swim distances!

Top image credit: PHD Nutrition

About

Helen has been 220's Editor since July 2013, when she made the switch from marathons to multisport. She's usually found open-water swimming and has competed in several swimruns as well as the ÖtillÖ World Series. Helen is a qualified Level 2 Open-Water Swim Coach focusing on open-water confidence and runs regular workshops at the South West Maritime Academy near Bristol. She is also an RLSS UK Open Water Lifeguard trainer/assessor.