From Udaipur to the UK

New contributor Jharna Kumawat fell in love with open water in India and now swims locally in Essex and Suffolk. This year she is aiming to finally conquer Ullswater end to end after her diabetes impacted her attempt last year. Jharna will be regularly sharing her swim-story with Outdoor Swimmer readers.

My open water journey started on the banks of Lake Pichola in Rajasthan, India. I grew up in the city of lakes and hills and almost everyone in my family including my grandmother swum in the lake. With no access to a proper swimsuit (forget the other gear like swim goggles or a hat), I learnt to doggy paddle, float and the basic survival skills in my local lake. I must’ve been 7 or 8 years old at the time and it was years later when my father enrolled me into swimming lessons at a newly opened 50-metre pool at a local private school. At the time I was 12 years old and had just begun the school summer holidays. April to May is summer in India and temperatures in my town would rise to 36°C. The swimming lessons used to be at 7am to avoid the soaring afternoon temperatures.

Fast forward to my life today, I work for an NHS Trust as a contracts and relationship manager. I work full-time for the NHS corporate team and read, review clinical and supply chain contracts. I live with my husband who is a chef by profession and certainly a keeper, our chocolate labrador Yogi and our two lovely children (10 and 8 years old).

At the age of 30, after being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, I rediscovered my passion for open water swimming. I’m on daily multiple insulin injections and check my blood glucose levels before each meal. As you can imagine, swimming as a type 1 diabetic can be challenging but with the help of excellent medical team and diabetes community, I have the knowledge and tools to manage my condition.

In 2020, my local swimming pool was closed during lockdown so I started taking short dips in Dedham (River Stour, Essex) to keep active and feel better. A month or so later, I came across an open water swim coach (Swimspirational), my then coach helped me navigate the open waters carefully and improved my swim technique.

I soon started to train more regularly with the aim to enter my first open water swim event. In September 2021, I swam the one-mile Swim Serpentine event and felt a sense of accomplishment like I had won a gold medal at a spelling bee competition (yeah, that’s what a brown kid dream of). I was convinced that swimming could be a game changer for my life and a sustainable one (not like the fad diets).

Over the last five years, I have swum the English Channel as part of a relay team, Lake Coniston 5.2 miles (twice), Henley Classic, Dart 10K, Level Water 24-hour swim relay and helped raise money for several charities that support adults and children living with long-term conditions such as type 1 diabetes. Each year I set myself a new swim challenge and with the help of my family and friends both in India and across the UK, I raise money for charities and spread awareness about type 1 diabetes.

This year, my goal is to swim end to end Lake Ullswater (7.5 miles). I didn’t finish this swim last year as my blood sugars didn’t behave and I had to pull out of the swim at mile 6. I train with Swim Smooth Suffolk every Saturday morning and I look forward to these squad sessions and meeting an enthusiastic, like-minded bunch of swimmers every week. We pool train and then go out for a sea swim in Felixstowe. I look forward to sharing my journey!

Lead photo by Fiona K