Three-way Channel crossing success for McCardel
Australian ultra-marathon swimmer Chloë McCardel has become the first person for 25 years and only the fourth person ever to successfully complete a three-way English Channel crossing.
McCardel’s total swim time for the three crossings was 36 hours 12 minutes. Her final crossing from the UK took 13 hours 30 minutes. McCardel’s success came despite strong tides that meant she had to battle to reach the French shore on both the first and third legs of the crossing.
It was McCardel’s third attempt at a triple crossing. To train for the challenge she completed three separate Channel crossings last month and then spent 20 hours training in Loch Ness in water of 11 degrees Celsius. The water temperature in the Channel was between 15.5 and 16.5 degrees.
Last year McCardel set the world record for the longest unassisted ocean swim by swimming from South Eleuthera Island to Nassau, Bahamas. Although she swam 126km, the swim was ratified at a straight line distance of 124.4km (77.3 miles) in 41hrs 21mins.
Simon Griffiths
I created Outdoor Swimmer in 2011 (initially as H2Open Magazine) as an outlet for my passion for swimming outdoors. I've been a swimmer and outdoor swimmer for as long as I remember. Swimming has made a huge difference to my life and I want to share its joys and benefits with as many people as possible. I am also the author of Swim Wild & Free: A Practical Guide to Swimming Outdoors 365 a Year and I provide one-to-one support to swimmers through Swim Mentoring.
