It was 50 years after Matthew Webb first swam the Channel that Gertrude Ederle in 1926 became the first woman to cross, and did so more than seven hours quicker.  To mark 100 years since her achievements, the all-female Aspire Dragonfly Relay Swim team took on the Channel on Sunday 5th July and swam it in a time of 12 hours 40 minutes.

The team - consisting of Louise Johnston, Alissa Morvan, Diana Passinke, Alva Wan, Kate Chow-McKeoghánd and Antonia Welch – are all members 10IronWomen, an all-female triathlon community.  Louise says:

When looking for my 2026 challenge my lovely 10ironwomen group had a mad idea, that as it’s the 100 year anniversary of the first woman to swim the Channel, why don’t we do it too, in her honour!

“Being out in the sea, with my fellow ladies, doing amazing things, we couldn’t have had a better day!  I loved being part of the Aspire Dragonflies. Our team have bonded so well in this process it was amazing to see them in action.”  

The team have raised over £13,000 (and rising) through donations from friends, family and colleagues and by holding events including a spin class on International Women’s Day.

Andrew Ogierman, Aspire’s Challenge Events Manager says, “The brave efforts of Matthew Webb and Gertrude Ederle, the first people to swim the Channel, paved the way for Aspire to be able to offer swimmers the opportunity to follow in their footsteps.  We are therefore delighted that the Aspire Dragonflies came together to swim in honour of Gertrude Ederle and raised over £13,000 help Aspire support more people with spinal cord injuries.”

Louise's swam the Channel in memory of Gertrude Ederle

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