In November I travelled to Latvia for Stage 1 of the Winter Swimming World Cup , the annual opener of a competition series that takes swimmers around the world. Thankfully there are no qualification stages so swimmers of all abilities can take part. The competition for the medal places, however, ...

This is not medical advice, just some of my musings. It is not 100 exhaustive but may be useful. Medical things to be aware of whilst preparing / training / for medical sign off. Declare anything of relevance to the person signing your medical and in self declaration for event. In particular, in ...

All of the best stories have more than one chapter! I have been searching for a quote to sum up my feelings after finally becoming a Channel swimmer… Look no further than Chuck Norris : “I’ve always found that anything worth achieving will always have obstacles in the way and you’ve got to have t...

When I speak to people about marathon swimming they think it’s a solo sport. “It’s amazing how you can do all that on your own!” They couldn’t be farther from the truth. I am indebted to some of the unsung heroes in ultramarathon open water swimming, some of who I’ve name checked below, but many ...

After my blog on nutrition for Teamselkie last year, people have asked me what I have used during a swim. So I have decided to share my nutrition plan for both split swims like the Champion of Champions and Geneva relay (hourish long swims, few hours rest) and the North Channel – likely 12 hours ...

There is little less in endurance sport that divides opinion as much as the subject of nutrition. So I thought I would put my feelings down to enable others to benefit from what I have learned in my open water swimming and medical career to date. I have done three recognised extreme marathon swim...