Olympian Hector Pardoe aims to shatter records in Windermere challenge

At ChillSwim Windermere on 2 September, Olympic open water swimmer Hector Pardoe will attempt to swim the 10.5 mile length of Windermere in record-breaking time

In a remarkable display of aquatic prowess, Team GB Olympic swimmer Hector Pardoe is planning to swim the entire 10.5 mile length of Windermere in record-breaking time. The current fastest known time stands at 3h35min, set by George Taplin in 2021. Hector will attempt to break that record at the Chillswim Windermere end-to-end event on 2 September.

Hector Pardoe is a celebrated open water swimmer known for his exceptional achievements in endurance swimming. Originally from Wrexham but now based in Loughborough with the British Swimming squad, Hector first shot to fame when he won the Olympic open water 10km test event the year prior to Tokyo 2020. However, a smash to the eye socket from another competitor resulted in Hector having to pull out before the end of the Olympic 10km event.

For his record attempt in Windermere, which is sponsored by aquatic gear brand Aquasphere, Hector is hoping to hold an average pace of 1min 11sec per 100m – four lengths of the average swimming pool – throughout the whole swim. The distance of the entire swim equates to 680 lengths of a 25m pool.

On what it takes to successfully attempt such a challenge, Hector explained, ” I have been wanting to swim the iconic Windermere for a while now and the perfect time has come this year. I was disappointed poor weather conditions changed previous plans but I’m fully focused and determined to go for the record. This is not just a personal goal, but also an opportunity to inspire others to push their limits.”

We will follow Hector’s record attempt and report on how he got on at a later date.

Read our interview with Hector about his eye injury in Tokyo, and how he thinks elite open water swimming events could be improved.