Hector Pardoe interview: How Windermere nearly broke him

Hector Pardoe is an Olympian, the length of Windermere record holder and a newly appointed ambassador for the Lake District Foundation

We caught up with British marathon swimmer Hector Pardoe shortly before he set off for the Paris Olympics. He told us about his love of the Lake District, why setting the record for Windermere was his hardest ever swim (but also his favourite), and what type of swimming legacy he’d like to create. Hector is representing Team GB in the marathon swim at the Paris Olympics. Find out how to join the Lake District Foundation’s Olympics Watch Party and support Hector’s work to preserve the Lake District.

What do you love about the Lake District?

What I love about the Lake District is obviously there are 16 lakes to swim in, and I think it’s just a fabulous place to go and enjoy the outdoors. We don’t have the Alps in the UK or the big lakes like Italy, but we have places like Cornwall, Anglesey and the Lake District. I think it’s important to preserve these types of places, because there aren’t so many destinations in the UK that are so scenic and beautiful.

Also, swimming Windermere and breaking the record, I felt like the whole community got behind me. Everyone was amazing: lovely and kind and supportive. When I got out of that swim there were around 400 people, maybe more, cheering and congratulating me. I felt like a hero. It made me feel special, and that’s rare in swimming. We’re not one of those sports that gets stadiums of 80,000. It’s a niche sport so it was nice to be exposed like that and have the chance to pass on some of my swimming experience and advice.

When did it first occur to you to start speaking out about the challenges facing our lakes and rivers?

I started swimming outdoors when I was 11 or 12 but back then I never thought about water quality. As I got older, I started to realise that maybe the water wasn’t just murky because of mud and that sewage had been pumped in. And I just wanted to do something about it. Going for the record on Windermere was a way to do that. If I had swum slowly, it wouldn’t have got so much attention. Going for a record, I could possibly force media outlets to cover it. And I think I did a pretty good job because it got a lot of coverage. It was a good way to put the record and the pollution issue on the same level and get them both talked about.

You normally race 10km and Windermere is 17km. How did you cope with the extra distance?

I’ve done 25k before and been under 5 hours for that, but this was different. I’m used to swimming around laps on a conventional course and feeding at the pontoon. I always know when I’m going to feed and how. Also, the pace is dictated by others and you have drafting and all that. Windermere was completely different. It was 16 degrees and I couldn’t wear a wetsuit or a racing suit. I didn’t have an effective feeding strategy in place. I’m used to people passing me a drink on a pole not throwing me a bottle.

After the first feed, I realised I’d wasted 40 seconds and would have to swim a second faster per 100m for the next 4km to make up. I knew I had to minimise that, so I didn’t feed again until 12km. I was still feeling fine and thought I’m OK, I don’t need anything. Then, all of a sudden, it just hit me. I hit a wall. I was completely dead, in absolute agony, so I stopped to feed. The team on the boat were telling me I had 70 minutes left to swim 5 or 6k. This meant I had to push but I was absolutely dead. I had some carbs but it didn’t help that much. The damage had been done. Those last 5k were probably the most agonising I’ve ever done.

I also think I started too fast. I got a bit excited. And in 16-degree water, wearing just your Speedos, you lose so much heat. Energy conservation is so important. I learned a lot, which is good as I want to do more iconic swims.

Tell us more about your future swim plans?

I don’t want to say too much and I’m getting ahead of myself but I want to swim the English Channel, next year if possible. I also want to swim Coniston and Ullswater in the Lake District and maybe Loch Awe in Scotland. Then there’s Lago D’Orta in Italy as my parents have a house there, and perhaps the North Channel… but I can’t do all these in one year. It will be over many years.

You have recently been appointed as an ambassador for The Lake District Foundation and they will be following your race on the 9 August. How can people get involved and join in the fun?

I was really honoured to be given an official role. It was a very proud moment. I’ve been using my position in open water swimming to promote water quality and now I can do it in a more official capacity with a prestigious charity. Now I can support the Lake District not just as someone who’s fond of the area but as an ambassador. I think that’s amazing.

I also think it attracts a lot more support for me as well. It kind of feels like I’ve got the whole Lake District cheering for me. That’s really special. It’s something that pushes me on and motivates me.

There’s going to be a breakfast where everyone can come along and watch me race, which is awesome, but also nerve-wracking. 

Finally, what legacy would you like to create as a swimmer?

Of course, I want to win medals and break records. I’ve got a world medal now and I hope I can do something amazing in Paris.

But beyond that, I want to continue doing these iconic swims, help to tackle water quality issues and, at the same time, inspire future generations to get involved with open water swimming. Windermere wasn’t the English Channel or anything as prestigious as that but it is one of the fondest swimming memories I have – the support I had, and how amazing it felt afterwards. It was so different to the circuits I’m used to. I think doing these iconic swims can really showcase the training I’ve been doing for the last 20 years.

 I’d like to raise the whole profile of the sport, make it more mainstream, and get more money and more brands into it.

I think about someone who might be 11 or 12 now, just starting their swimming journey, and maybe not being able to follow the same path as me because of water quality. I want to make sure they do have those opportunities I had and get to enjoy outdoor swimming.

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