On 24th November Hannah Evans swam for 16 hours for her Aspire Channel Swim at the Aspire Leisure Centre in Stanmore, swimming 22 miles in one day. 

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Hannah, who had been training for an Ironman 70.3 triathlon, fractured her spine in a cycling accident in July. Undeterred, she channelled her energy into the Aspire Channel Swim challenge, initially aiming to complete the 22-mile distance over 12 weeks. However, she decided to further challenge herself by swimming the entire distance in one day. Since the challenge started in September she has swum a total of 124km. 

"I'm fortunate that my accident wasn't more serious, and I wanted to help those who aren't as lucky. This challenge was about focusing on what I could do, despite the obstacles."

Starting at 9am on 24th November, Hannah swam an incredible 1360 lengths, finishing at 3:30am the following morning. Supported by Aspire staff, family, and friends, she has raised over £2000 for the charity. Hannah expressed her gratitude to Aspire, particularly Paul Parrish, Director of Fundraising & Marketing, and the Aspire Leisure Centre team as well as her husband, Sam Handley, the ultimate support “plan man” for their unwavering support in making the event possible.

Hannah credits her success to a combination of factors, including a dedicated training plan developed with coach Jennie Jones of Tribirdsports Coaching and a meticulous nutrition strategy designed by high-performance nutritionist Claire Fudge of 4th Discipline.
Jennie says, "Hannah's achievement is a testament to her determination and resilience. This incredible feat shows how mindset and focus can lead to amazing accomplishments. Supporting athletes like Hannah through challenges and helping them adapt to setbacks is what I love most about coaching."

Claire added, "A solid fuelling strategy supports both physical and mental performance. There are three things that ensure success 1. Setting goals that almost seem unobtainable and exciting. 2. Having an ABC plan for fuelling a big event/expedition. 3. Mindset - make sure you can visualise what keeps you going. I'm incredibly proud of Hannah for completing her Aspire Channel Swim challenge - an awesome result and come-back from a spinal injury!” 

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