Liam Fairhurst - 26-02-1995 to 30-06-2009 - "Life is measured in achievement not in years alone"

14 year old Liam Fairhurst from Soham in Cambridgeshire, died on June 30, 2009. His requiem mass was held today July 10, 2009 in Newmarket, Suffolk. Below is my small tribute to a truly inspirational and courageous boy who became a simply astonishing fundraiser for CLIC Sargent, the children's cancer charity through which I had the honour of meeting him and his family.

Tribute to Liam Fairhurst

On Wednesday December 06, 2006 I was invited by Karen Roberts of CLIC Sargent to attend a CLIC Sargent event at the Bury St Edmunds Library and give a talk on my 2007 channel swim attempt. When I arrived I met two people called Sarah and Mark Fairhurst who introduced themselves and said that they had heard about me and were frequent visitors to my www.HoffysChannelsSwim.org.uk website. They explained that their 11 year old son Liam had suffered a tumor in his leg as well as lung cancer and CLIC Sargent had been a fantastic support to them. They said that Liam was in awe of me and my channel swim attempt and was attempting to do a 1 mile sponsored swim in aid of CLIC Sargent. So far he has raised over £6,000 for them. I had to get my head around it all. An 11 year old boy who had suffered from two different cancers, and everything associated with it, was going to swim a mile and he was in awe of me? I couldn't believe it, and when I went up to give my talk, I couldn't speak. I almost burst into tears and it took all my effort not to. Liam's mum Sarah tells the story in her own words here:-

LIAM'S Story by his Mum Sarah written in December 2006:-

"Liam's problems with his leg manifested in APRIL 2005 after a fall from a neighbours trampoline. For the previous year or so he had always had an odd style of walking. But after the fall this got worse, he complained of pain in his left leg and we noticed that the muscle to the thigh became hard. We did seek medical advice but in fairness to all those who saw Liam he was not presenting with any symptoms other than those you would expect after a fall. At the end of June 2005 Liam complained that the pain was getting worse and he found it difficult to walk. On showing me his leg I noticed the upper left leg had swollen to over twice its normal size and immediately alarm bells rung. I must admit I immediately thought it was cancer.

Mark took Liam to the doctors who were very quick in referring us on to WEST SUFFOLK HOSPITAL and within the week we were at THE ROYAL ORTHOPEDIC in BIRMINGHAM where Liam had a biopsy on his left leg and also other body scans. A week later we received a call telling us what we already knew Liam had cancer a SYNOVIAL SARCOMA in his leg and worryingly/unexpectedly secondaries in his left lung (three nodules).

It was like being in a parallel universe our whole world stopped and within a week Liam was in ADDENBROOKES undergoing the first of seven courses of chemotherapy fed through a central line. Liam had never been in hospital let alone had an operation. He is an intelligent and articulate child and was like us scared and depressed. Despite this he quickly realised that the only way to get better was to BE POSITIVE and he managed to do this despite constant bouts of sickness, tiredness and ulcers that invaded most bodily orifices. After 4 chemos the nodules had gone and the leg cancer had reduced by 70%. Liam then went back to BIRMINGHAM for an op to remove the remaining tumour and thanks to the skill of the surgical team he kept his leg. Liam lost half of the quadriceps muscle and one of his knee muscles but was up and walking the next day.

He returned to ADDENBROOKES for the remaining three chemos and then underwent 6weeks of daily (mon-fri) radiotheraphy finishing 22nd December 2005. We received the all clear after scans in mid January. Liam at present has 3 monthly chest xrays and four monthly MRI scans back at ADDENBROOKES.

He wanted to do the [1 mile sponsored] swim because he said he was aware that some children weren't as lucky as him. Some of their treatments lasted longer than his and others died in particular JACK WILKINSON a 12 year old he befriended whilst in ward C2. He chose CLIC Sargent because he felt the money went to the right people and helped children and families like his."

Above left to right, December 06, 2006: Sarah Fairhurst, (Liam's Mum), Karen Roberts (CLIC Sargent) Mark Fairhurst (Liam's Dad) Kim Williams (Social Worker Assistant, CLIC Sargent, Adenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge), me and Rachel Goodman (Social Worker, CLIC Sargent, Adenbrookes Hospital).

Above: 11 year old Liam Fairhurst after surgery/chemotherapy and radiotherapy with brother Callum.

Liam's Mile - 1 Mile Sponsored swim, December 22, 2006.

I was invited to attend the Next Generation Gym in Cambridge, where I had the honour of meeting Liam for the first time. I had to admit, that I was nervous before meeting him as he had already inspired me and touched me before I had even met him.

Above: 11 year old Liam Fairhurst at our first meeting just prior to his "Liam's Mile" swim on December 22, 2006.

I watched in awe as this courageous young man pumped out length after length after length of the pool, exactly a year after being given the all clear from his cancer. It was so inspiring and humbling to be there. When he was on the final length, the whole pool was shouting, and screaming, and when he touched the end of the pool, everyone went mad. He had done it, and in the process had raised over £12,000 for CLIC Sargent! But there was more to come.

Above: Liam turns during his awesome 1 mile swim, just 1 year after being given the all clear from his cancer.

Liam's 12th birthday, February 26, 2007

Above left to right: Me, Liam Fairhurst and Karen Roberts celebrate Liam's 12th Birthday at The Next Generation Gym, Cambridge.

On Monday February 26th, 2007, my wife Beccy and I were delighted and honoured to be invited to Liam's 12th birthday party. He was so excited and happy that day. He also had a special cake made which had a cheque on it telling us that he had raised an absolutely staggering £70,000 for CLIC Sargent by doing his 1 mile swim. It was a very special day, for a very special boy and a special family, and it was an honour to be there. But less than a week later we received some terrible news.

This is the news I received taken from a blog entry dated March 06, 2007 on my previous blog site:-

"This morning I received a telephone call from a mutual acquaintance who asked me how I was. I told her that I was not very happy because the doctor had just given me more antibiotics for my persistent ear infection, which was stopping me training for the channel swim. As I sat there feeling sorry for myself, she hit me with a killer blow. "I've got some bad news" she said, "Liam's cancer has come back". I was dumbstruck. We had a long conversation about it, but in a nutshell they are optimistic that they have caught it early. He will undergo chemotherapy followed by an operation to remove the cancer and is receiving the full support of CLIC Sargent. I really can't express the emotion I am feeling at present, but I urge everyone who reads this to please donate just £10.00 to CLIC Sargent by clicking on the link below. More if at all possible. Liam's family, and many others like them need your money. I would like to say this to Liam. "Liam, you are a fighter. You have got through this once, and you will get through this again. I am not now just swimming the the channel for CLIC Sargent and St. Nicholas' Hospice, I AM SWIMMING IT FOR YOU. If you can swim a whole mile having been through what you have been through, I can swim that little old channel for you."

During the 2 years that followed, 2 years that fate turned into the last two of his short life, Liam did some truly remarkable things, all of which are just too numerous to mention here, so I would urge you to visit his website at:-

www.LiamFairhurst.com

His website shows just what a truly remarkable, selfless, courageous and inspirational person he was. At his requiem mass today, his mum announced that at the time of his death he had raised a staggering £321,000 pounds for CLIC Sargent. He loved CLIC Sargent, and spent his last 4 years doing as much as he possibly could to raise money for them. There is a link at the base of this tribute where you can donae directly to them if you wish to do so.

Father Martin Hardy read out the following poem:-

You can shed tears that he is gone

Or you can smile because he has lived

You can close your eyes and pray that he will come back

Or you can open your eyes and see that he has left

Your heart can be empty because you can't see him

Or you can be full of the love that you shared

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday

Or you can be happy for tomorrow becaue of yesterday

You can remember him and only that he is gone

Or you can cherish his memory and let it live on

You can cry and close your mind,

be empty and turn your back

Or you can do what he would want: smile,

open your eyes, love and go on.

As his coffin left the packed church to the sound of Heather Small's song "Proud", there was not a dry eye in the church. This truly remarkable young man crammed more into his 14 short years, and touched more people than many do in a lifetime. Liam, it was an honour and a privilege to have known you. Rest in peace.

<Click here to donate to CLIC Sargent>

British open water swimmers required to swim in Sabac, Serbia, August 02, 2009

Above: Jarak - Sabac, race director Vojislav Mijic presents a plaque to me after the 2008 FINA World Cup race.

On Sunday June 28, 2009 I received a call from race director Vojislav Mijic to ask if I wanted to compete in this year's 40th anniversary swim from Jarak - Sabac. It is a 19KM river swim in water temperatures of about 27 Degrees Centigrade. Last years swim was a FINA World Cup event, but due to the costs involved in financing the event (about 60,000 Euros) it will not be a FINA event this year so anyone can enter. Due to the imminent birth of Beccy and I's first child, I am not swimming at the moment so will unfortunately not be attending.

Above: Photos from last years event, including a personal race I had with Italy's Nicola Carradossi, which I eventually won.

If you are interested in competing, please telephone Vojislav directly on +38 115 348 951 and he will send you an entry form. He is not good on the computer so this is the best way to contact him. He is a fantastic guy, Sabac is a beautiful, cosmopolitan city, and the people are very friendly. If you go, I promise you will have a fantastic time.

Click below for my full report from last years event:-

FINA World Cup - Serbia, July 13, 2008

Channel Swimmers audition for BBC TV show "Eggheads"

Above (left to right): Jim Boucher (Channel Swimmer 2007), me (2007 & 2008) and Kevin Murphy ('King of The English Channel' with 34 crossings) auditioning for 'Eggheads' in London on June 18, 2009.

Through the channel swimming communities "Google Group" set up by multi-channel swimmer Nick Adams, we were invited to attend an audition to go on the BBC TV show "Eggheads". Having put my name down on the list, I somehow ended up organising the auditions. Our team of six will be Kevin Murphy, Mike Cross, Jim Boucher, Graeme Schlachter, Megan Forbes and myself. "Eggheads" is a general knowledge quiz in which teams from all over the UK battle to beat the formidable Eggheads, a team of extremely knowlegeable quiz experts.

For the auditions, we needed just three of the team of six. On the day, if we get through the audition stage, the team will be five of us, and one reserve which will be Graeme.

Kevin, Jim and myself were the three available for the auditions, and we arrived at the studios in Great Tichfield Street, London for 2pm, where we were greeted by Katie and Jodie who were to be our hosts for the day. The first thing that was asked was what our team name was. Now anyone who has followed recent Channel Group discussions, knows that this has caused some 'heated' e-mail exchanges! Having arrived with the name "English Channel Waterheads", Jim came up with an excellent name - "Channel 5". If you live in the UK you will know that this is also the name of a TV Channel in the UK, so is quite a play on words, especially since we were auditioning for the BBC! I was pronounced "captain" of the team by Katie which was a surprise to me!

We had to fill in all the mandatory paperwork, and when asked for Kevin's address, Jim, by now on a roll, said:-

"Due to the amount of time he spends in the channel, his usual address is:

1 Tanker Close
North-West Shipping Lane
The English Channel"

This had us in stitches, well me anyway! We had a quiz between us which ended up with a result of 2:2. I have no idea if that was good or not but we were then filmed and asked various questions which had to be answered on film.

We were thanked for attending, and told that we would be informed by the beginning of August if we had passed the audition or not. It was a fun experience, and I will update the blog once we know any further news.

"Life is a Channel Swim - Setting and Achieving your Goals" - A motivational presentation by Paul Hopfensperger, English Channel Swimmer 2007 & 2008

Since my first channel swim on July 10, 2007 I have been asked on several occasions to give talks to organisations about the swim. In return, they have very kindly donated money to my two channel swim charities CLIC Sargent, the UK's largest children's cancer charity, and St Nicholas' Hospice in Bury St Edmunds who I recently found out, need to raise a staggering £10,000 per day just to survive!

Due to this, I have now prepared a more comprehensive and motivational talk for anyone who may be interested which explains, using NLP techniques, how life is like a channel swim. It needs to be well planned, starting with a well defined outcome or goal, and we need to develop the skills and have the discipline to achieve those goals.

Above: Paul talks to 45 members of the Bury St Edmunds Probus Club on Tuesday March 24, 2009.

Wherever you may live, if you would like me to share my talk and explain how I swam the English Channel not just once, but twice, please feel free to contact me by e-mail to motivation@bodyandmindstudio.co.uk or visit the web page by <clicking here>.

TESTAMONIALS

“Paul’s talk to our club was fascinating. He is a gifted speaker, easy to listen to and has a keen sense of humour. It was one of the most interesting talks we have ever had”.
David Hughes, Chairman, Tuesday Probus Club, Bury St Edmunds.

“Paul’s presentation to our club was received with great enthusiasm and is an example of what can be achieved if you put your mind to it”.
Ernie Broom, Chairman, Howard Estate Over 60’s Club, Bury St Edmunds.

“Paul’s talk was thoroughly enjoyed by all members of our club. It made us realise what an extremely physical and mental achievement it was to swim the channel, and he did it to raise money for people less fortunate than himself”.
Arthur Smith, Chairman, Mildenhall Road Estate Over 60’s Club, Bury St Edmunds.

Thank you Bury St Edmunds Round Table for donating £500 to St Nicholas' Hospice

Above: Left to Right, Round Table National President, Peter Manly, me, Bury St Edmunds Round Table (289) Chairman, Anton Woodward and Vice Chairman, Philip Healy-Pearce, donate a cheque for £500 to me on behalf of St. Nicholas' Hospice, Bury St Edmunds.

Each year in November, the Bury St Edmunds Round Table organise a fantastic Fireworks extravaganza in the Abbey Gardens, Bury St Edmunds to raise money for local charities (the 2009 event will be on Saturday November 07, 2009). As reported on a previous blog entry in January, I was delighted to have been selected as one of the recipients of £500 funding from the 2008 event for swimming the channel twice. I have today, March 30th, 2009 paid this to St. Nicholas' Hospice, one of my chosen channel swim charities.

Above: The Bury St Edmunds Round Table annual presentation evening as reported in the Bury Free Press on Friday March 27, 2009 (Click here to download larger version).

If you live or work in or near Bury St Edmunds, and are male aged between 18 and 45, Round Table is a fantastic way to make new friends, do things you might not normally do, and raise funds for charity. They are always looking for new members. If you are interested in joining, then please contact them via their website at www.buryroundtable.co.uk.

I would just like to say a huge thank you to them, for being so generous to me.

Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation 7th Annual Dinner, Dover, England, March 14, 2009

Above: The menu and list of CS&PF Solo Channel Swimmers for 2008.

Arriving in Dover on Saturday evening with my wife Beccy and 'Little Hoffy', it felt like we had never been away. Sweeping down past the harbour from the A20, I gazed across the harbour and thought about all the lengths back and forth over the past couple of years. The sun was just setting and the water was as calm as it could possibly be. If it wasn't for the fact the water was only just over 7 degrees Centigrade, it would be a perfect evening to swim the channel. However, we weren't here for that today, we were here for the annual dinner and awards presentation of the Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation (CS&PF).

The tables were all excellently set out, and the dinner committee had obviously been working very hard all day, probably all week or longer in fact, to ensure that everyone would enjoy themselves.

Charlie Gravett, who will be my pilot for my Jersey to France swim when it eventually does take place, had been elected as Chairman of the CS&PF for 2009 earlier in the day at the AGM. Well done Charlie, I'm sure you will do fantastic job. It was during a chat with him prior to sitting down for the meal, that reality struck home about my Jersey to France attempt for 2009. You may remember that we went to Jersey in 2008 for the attempt, but despite sitting there for the week, I could not swim due to the windy conditions. We returned back to England, and re-booked it for the week commencing July 01, 2009. Well, things don't always turn out as planned in open water swimming. Beccy is due to give birth on July 29, 2009. That's 29 days after the planned swim! So after discussions with Charlie, Beccy and I have reluctantly decided to cancel the swim at present, as there is no way she can spend hours on a boat feeding me when she will be 8 months pregnant! We will have to re-schedule it, probably for 2010. Back to the meal.

I can't sum the evening up any better, than the e-mail sent to the channel swimmers group by the compare for the evening, Cliff Golding. I have therefore reproduced it here:-

"First, thank you to everybody who turned out on Saturday night for the CS&PF annual dinner. By all accounts everybody really enjoyed themselves. Amongst the many highlights for me were: Ros Hardiman's award and the spontaneous and prolonged standing ovation she received; the composure and strength Tara and her family showed in presenting the Leo Cox award; Frank Richard's heartfelt words on accepting his retirement award and how he said his priority now was to look after Margaret like she has looked after him all their married life and that she was far more important than Channel swimming - true love still after 61 years; introducing all the solo Channel swimmers from last year and, hearing after from someone who swam two years ago that one of the things that spurred him on during his swim was that he wanted to stand up and be introduced at the dinner as a Channel swimmer; and, the aah moment of the evening, when Frances Anderson stood to accept applause for her swim last year and it was announced that her boyfriend 'Shep' had taken her to her landing point in France earlier in the day and proposed to her at that spot.

Of course Evelyn winning the grand - let's say huge - bottle of wine was also a highlight - can't wait for THAT Varne Ridge barbacue in the sunmmer. And, there were over 40 swimmers braving the harbour on Sunday morning. The lovely sunny day belied the freezing water temperature (not that I would know, before anyone comments!) and shifts of ten at a time swimmers descending on Chaplin's for breakfast reminded me of days gone by and both delighted and challenged Barbara in the kitchen.

But, the main reason for penning this is to say that buried in the PDF Mike sent last night was the figure for the amount raised on the night for the Dover Lifeboat. £516 was collected (thanks Ella and Rhianna for collecting the envelopes) and will be presented to the RNLI Dover Lifeboat and thanks also to the emergency committee meeting convened during the evening (well a few of them gathered round Charlie's Guinness and did a thumbs up) when it was agreed that the CS&PF will match that amount and present a cheque for the euro equivilant to the Calais Lifeboat. Thank you to everyone for your generosity.

So to next year with the small matter of a whole season's Dover training and Channel swimming to come first!

Cliff."

A big well done from all of us here in Bury St Edmunds to Cliff, who was an excellent compare for the evening.

Above: Meeting my 2 Way Channel Swim 2010 pilot Eddie Spelling for the first time. He gave me some valuable information.

Above (Left to Right): Little Hoffy, Sonia from The Sandown Guest House, Me, Beccy.

Above (Left to Right): Channel Swimmers Benjamin Greensmith, Ned Dennison, Me (the short one at 6 Feet 1") and 2009 Channel Swimming Aspirant, Mike Hall.

Sunday March 15, 2009 - Dover Harbour

Having indulged in the usual excellent breakfast served at The Sandown by Sonia, we set off for the beach on a glorious almost Spring day. When we got there I was amazed at just how many mad fools were there! There must have been 50 or so people all eager to get in the 7.8 degrees Centigrade water. All except me actually. I really was not in the right frame of mind to get in. I was still thinking about my cancelled Jersey swim. At the beginning of the year, I had 3 big swims planned. Now, I had none! I stripped off and headed down to the water.

Above: With multi-channel swimmer, Nick Adams who helped me so much last year in Dover Harbour.

I stepped into the water up to my shins, and had the most searing pain shoot up my legs imaginable! Many people just went swimming off to the Prince of Wales Pier and Back. Nick Adams swam towards the Eastern Dock. Try as I might, I just could not get in. My head was not quite in the right place.

Eventually I resorted to splashing the water all over my body with my hands. This helped a lot, and without further ado, I walked into the water up to my waist.

It's amazing how the brain works. I was thinking, that there really was no point in doing this this year, I now had no reason to as I had no swims. I swum back to shore, and watched the others. Nick Adams did an amazing swim almost to the Eastern Dock and back.

Above: Pleased with myself after the best part of 60 second in Dover Harbour!

Above: Me with channel swimmers Sam Jones and Carlos. Apologies Carlos, but I don't think I've ever been told your surname!

We set off back to Bury and while I sat in the car, I sat thinking, pondering things, wondering when I would be back in Dover. A good weekend, but a lot to think about.

Doubts raised over swimmer's Atlanic journey

Above: Jennifer Figge, a 56-year-old American, is said to be the first woman to swim across the Atlantic Ocean. But did she?

By Craig Offman, National Post, Canada. Published: Tuesday, February 10, 2009

When Jennifer Figge touched the shores of Trinidad last Thursday, the 56-year-old American completed a 3,400 kilometre, 24-day journey that began on Africa's Cape Verde Islands and ended on an abandoned leper colony. She became the first woman to swim across the Atlantic, a world record, perhaps.

But how much of it did she actually swim?

That is the heated dispute among aquatic marathoners, many of whom apply strict guidelines to these kinds of record-breaking firsts, right down to what the athlete wears. They believe that there is plenty to be skeptical about.

"When you do the math, it means she'd have to swim almost 150 kilometres a day," said Timothy Noakes, professor of exercise and sports science at the University of Cape Town."

An expert on extreme cold and endurance, Mr. Noakes helped train British swimmer Lewis Pugh for his famed, one-kilometre North Pole swim. "She couldn't go that fast - even if she ran across the water."

Yet previous transaltantic strokers have arguably swam at roughly the same pace, including two Frenchman - one of them with a kickboard.

Ms. Figge, a resident of Aspen, Colo., is a veteran marathon runner whose ocean-wide ambitions are more vast than her experience in the water. According to her Facebook page, one of her longest swims before this highly publicized crossing was an 83-km, three-day haul from Cay Sal Bank, Bahamas up to Marathon, Fla.

On Jan. 12, Ms. Figge set off from Africa, wearing a red cap and a wet suit, following a 14-tonne catamaran named Carried Away.

A makeshift mobile cage protected her from predators and various amoebic scourges.

"I've always dreamed about being this little thing in the big ocean," she told The Associated Press before her departure. According to the same report, she gave her captain, Billy Ray, a blank cheque with "Deposit to Swim Atlantic" written at the bottom.

Most days, Ms. Figge awoke at about 7 a.m., gorging on carbs while assessing the weather, which apparently was not helpful.

On her best day, she'd last eight hours in her six-metre by four-metre shark net; her least productive burst was just 21 minutes. The crew initially planned on mooring in the Bahamas, but was blown 1,600 km off course.

Once she arrived on the Trinidadian island of Chacachacare, however, she entered a unique class of swimmers.

A little over a decade ago, Frenchman Benoît Lecomte stroked 9,600 kms from Cape Cod, Mass., through the Azores, to Brittany - a 73-day journey. This would average out to 131 kilometres a day.

Four years earlier, a fellow Frenchman, Guy Delage, took a similar route to Ms. Figge's, but with the aid of a kickboard. His swim was unsupervised and has not been accredited.

Ms. Figge's business manager, David Higden, did not respond to an interview request, but he did tell the Guardian that Ms. Figge swam only 19 of the 24 days, and that she never set out to swim the entire distance. "Nobody could swim across the Atlantic. It's physically impossible," he said.

If traversing the Atlantic was not the team's objective, then they should not be surprised to hear that there are doubts about the accomplishment.

"In these swims, you have to provide evidence," Mr. Noakes said. "You need hour-to-hour evidence from a GPS telling us that she was there. It's up to them to prove it."

Mr. Noakes likened these athletes to mountain climbers, and the GPS evidence as the proof of their record. "You can't say you've conquered Everest until you have that photo next to the Chinese flag. This is the same issue: You need that evidence."

Paul Hopfensperger, who crossed the English Channel, also has misgivings. Like Mr. Noakes, he feels that wearing a wetsuit gives a swimmer an unfair advantage such as extra buoyancy and warmth. "People are dubious about this because it asks the question, ‘Where do you stop?' There are rules about this for a reason," said Mr. Hopfensperger, a councillor in Suffolk County, near Cambridge.

Without a wetsuit, swimmers are more prone to hypothermia, sapping them of strength that they would have if they wore some kind of protective gear. It also might fend off jellyfish stings that could otherwise lead to shock.

Best known for her superhuman swimming in frozen waters, Lynne Cox has her doubts about the shark cage, which she said can increase a swimmer's velocity 30% to 40%.

A self-declared purist who wears only goggles, a bathing cap, sunscreen and a swimsuit, the California native stresses the importance of learning what the human body can endure.

But she is also not surprised by the controversy. I can see why people are purist about this and why they should be done this way, not another" said the Swimming to Antarctica author. "But I think it's great for her to have goal like that. And if she felt needed to it that way, then she should do it."

PJH - I think we were all justified in being dubious about the legitamicy of the claim following the publication of this in Puerto Rico today:-

Correction: Caribbean-Trans-Atlantic Swim story

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — In stories on Feb. 1, 7 and 8, about Jennifer Figge's long-distance swim in the Atlantic, The Associated Press reported erroneously that she had swum across the ocean. Figge swam only a fraction of the 2,100-mile journey. The rest of the time, she rested on her crew's westward-sailing catamaran. Her spokesman, David Higdon, told The AP on Tuesday that her total swimming distance has not been calculated yet, but that due to ocean hazards including inclement weather, he estimates she swam about 250 miles.

PJH - Now we know why all English Channel Swims have to adhere to strict rules, and are only ratified if official observers of the CSA or CS&PF agree that the swim has complied with those rules.

UK Cold Water Swimming Championships 2009, Tooting Bec Lido, London, England

Tooting Bec Lido, London, England - Saturday January 24, 2009

Above: The fabulous Tooting Bec Lido, home of the South London Swimming Club.

As the alarm went off at 4.45am on a cold frosty winters morning, I really did not feel like getting out of bed. Then I remembered we were off to one of my favourite events of the year, the UK Cold Water Swimming Championships at Tooting Bec Lido, London. I leaped out of bed, took my usual nutritional breakfast of Herbalife milk shake with bananas, grabbed by kit, scraped the ice off the car windows and set off on our 100 mile trip to South London.

Walking from the car park to the pool, it really was a cold but sunny winter morning. The frost was all over Tooting Bec Common, and the thought of getting into the icy water did not appeal. As we entered and registered, the official water temperature was given out as 3 degrees centigrade (37 Degrees Fahrenheit). This would be the coldest water I had ever swum in.

My first event was the men's 40 - 49 years old Freestyle event, in which there were 44 men registered. I was in event no. 12, and we went through the very well rehearsed and organised routine of walking around the pool and undressing at various stages so as not get get cold.

Above: Lining up to take my first ever dip into 3 Degrees Centigrade water...

...followed by - Ssssshhhhiiittttt! That totally takes your breath away! Jumping in, I gulped for air as the icy waters hit my stomach, then we all had to put our shoulders under the water, and that's when it really hits you. We all put our feet on the wall, grabbed the bar with one hand, then the starter counts down - 3 - 2 - 1 - GO! Bloody hell did I GO! I went hell for leather. Not because I wanted to win, but just so I could get out the other side as quickly as possible!

I touched just behind the guy in the lane to the left of me and jumped out of the pool as fast as I possibly could. I didn't want to be in there any longer than I had to be. I checked my time which was 17.78 seconds. I was a bit disappointed with that, as at the event two years ago I had clocked 16.70 seconds. However, it wasn't too bad considering a little secret I have to share. I only started training this week after a 2.5 month lay off! I have struggled to get back in the water again since Mexico. However, I am now back into it but have a lot of catching up to do.

I grabbed my clothes, and ran round to the hot tub and jumped in to warm up. It was fantastic. Having thawed out, everyone in the event then dived into the sauna which was now permanent fixture at the lido since last years World Cold Water Swimming Championships.

When the results went up on the board, I was delighted and really surprised to see that I had qualified for the final with the 3rd fastest time. Not bad for no training!

Above: Kevin Murphy, King of The English Channel (read hat), competes in the "Head Up" breastroke event. A special event for winter swimming in which your eyes are not allowed to go under the water, and some people wear funny hats (That is not a real duck sitting on that chaps head!).

Above: Going through the same procedure in the "Head Up Breastroke" event, in which I won my heat and was promptly interviewed by actor Alistair Petrie.

Above: Back in the hot tub straight after the "Head Up" breastroke event.

Above: The results of the "Head up" breastroke event showed that I came 8th over all, missing out on the final by one place. I was still pleased with this as I have never been a breast stroke swimmer.

After lunch, was the final of my Freestyle event. We lined up and stepped into the water, and went through the same routine again. It really did not get any easier after the 3rd time. It still totally took my breath away. When the 3-2-1-GO! went again, I went absolutely flat out. I hit the wall in exactly the same time as my heat, and jumped straight out again.

I asked Beccy where I had come, and she said she thought I was 3rd. If that was so, I would be very pleased especially as I hadn't trained for so long. I headed to the hot tub, followed by the sauna.

Above: In the sauna after my last event of the day. To the right is the actress Lucy Petrie (Lucy Scott) wife of Alistair Petrie.

When I got out, Beccy confirmed that I had taken 3rd position and so would be going home with a bronze medal. I was so chuffed!

Above: Left, my Dover Harbour training buddy Leanne Harding and Jane Murphy, wife of 'King of The Channel', Kevin Murphy after competing in the 5 lengths endurance race. Well done Jane (and Kevin) for completing that one!

Above: The ever present Beccy keeping herself (and 'bump') warm. Thanks Bex as always for being there and for taking all the photos. In the background is my other Dover Harbour training buddy, and multi-channel swimmer, Nick Adams (red hat).

Above: Margy Sullivan, organiser of the championships, puts my bronze medal around my neck. Below, with Gold and Silver medalists, Chris Dean and William Kearney of Enfield Water Polo Club.

Above: My participation certificate and bronze medal for taking 3rd place in the Freestyle event.

After such a great day, I didn't expect things to get any better. However, arriving back home and checking through my e-mails, I received the following e-mail from the Chairman of the Bury St Edmunds Round Table:-

Dear Hoffy

Your request for funding from Bury St Edmunds Round Table has been considered by our members and I am delighted to inform you that a donation of £500 to St Nicholas Hospice has been approved [....]

Yours sincerely

Anton Woodward
Chairman 2008 – 2009
Bury St Edmunds Round Table

I was absolutely thrilled by this. As a member of the Bury St Edmunds Round Table between 1996 and 2002, I know how hard everyone works to organise fund raising events. The above donation comes from the funds raised from the 2008 Fireworks display in the Abbey Gardens, Bury St Edmunds. I would like to personally thank the Bury St Edmunds Round Table for the very generous donation to one of my swimming charities - St Nicholas' Hospice. This now brings the fundraising total to:-

£16,156.13p

If you would like to sponsor me for yesterday's UK Cold Water Swimming Championships event, please do so by clicking on either (or both) of the links below:-

CLIC Sargent Children's Cancer Charity

St. Nicholas' Hospice, Bury St Edmunds