Features

Ed Williams

Edward Williams swims the distance for Prostate Cancer Research

To swim the English Channel was something Anglia Ruskin University student Edward always wanted to do, and he felt this year was the right year to achieve this particular goal in his life.

He chose to combine this ambition with fundraising for a charity close to his heart. Ed explained how his dad had spent 25 years as a surgeon treating the disease before contracting the disease himself - "thankfully he is fine now but thousands of men still suffer so I felt it was a very worthy cause."

Ed Williams at Dover

Following 12 months of hard training in very cold water Ed was adamant that the sea felt like it was an indoor swimming pool. His training almost meant that tides weren't a serious problem as he could swim for 24 hours if he had to. His determination and ambition meant that Ed never felt like giving up during his training, something that would prove vital during his channel crossing.

Before Ed set off for his solo attempt he had already completed a section of the swim as part of a relay which gave him extra confidence and experience of what he was to face. However, dressed in just trunks, goggles, and a hat, and covered in a mixture of Vaseline and lanolin Edward had to face 4m high waves that engulfed his support boat and lifted him to the height of its roof.

Ed in training before the big swim!

Throughout the swim Ed ate while treading water, and relied on an extended stroke to maximise his effort. However for most of the swim it was the physiological trauma rather than the physical hurt that caused most problems. Edward was shocked by the emotional swings due to staring into the black abyss for so long with only minimal contact from other humans. He contemplated giving up but couldn't let himself and his supporters down.

Just before midnight on Tuesday 22nd August 2006, Ed completed the 26 mile swim from Dover to Calais. It had taken 14 hours. After he dragged himself out of the water he collapsed and slept for two hours but struggled to get any more sleep due to the pain he was experiencing. Despite this he doesn't regret going ahead with the swim as the sponsorship money keeps rolling in.