Lewis Gordon Pugh - Incredible

In my new found fascination with Endurance Swimming, my research has led me frequently to the exploits of one truly incredible man. Lewis Gordon Pugh. He has swum the whole of the Thames, been first to swim the length of the world’s longest fjord and first to swim round the most northerly point of Europe.

He is also the first man to swim at the North Pole - where the waters are a comparatively warm -1.7 Celsius, the salt is enough to prevent the water freezing at that temperature.

Pugh carries out his swims to Channel Swimming Association rules - which does not allow wetsuits, flippers or snorkels. Whilst I believe this is fine and noble and suitable for the Channel Crossing Swim, it does however limit your choice and length of other endurance swimming events.

He chooses not to cover himself in goose fat as he does not want to be too slippery for his team to fish him out of the water in case he develops hypothermia.

What I find completely incredible is Lewis Pugh’s incredible ability to withstand the icy cold has been developed over years of training. Before he dives in, he spends around 15 minutes using mind power alone to superheat his body. His pulse rate shoots up from 70 to 160 a minute and his temperature rises from 37C to 38.4, causing him to sweat profusely.

This is all without moving a muscle - and something which would take an ordinary person around 30 minutes of hard exercise to achieve.

The video he produced of his North Pole swim is on YouTube here, it is amazing what we can achieve when we have a dream!

Photo - Courtesy of Push Pictures/PA Wire