I first heard about the Aspire Channel Swim in 2017 but unfortunately wasn’t able to finish the challenge. It appealed to me because growing up I was fascinated by the story of Mihir Sen, the legendary Indian swimmer of the 1950s and 60s, who was the first Asian to swim across the Channel from Dover to Calais. He later went on to swim seas of the 5 continents (Strait of Gibraltar, Palk Strait, Bosphorus, Panama Canal and Dardanelles) in a single calendar year. When the opportunity to virtually ‘follow’ in his proverbial shoes appeared, I could not let it pass.

I had a pretty active lifestyle, with sports (cricket, tennis, swimming) and weight training being my preferred modes of fitness with occasional biking. We have recently been blessed with twins (a boy and a girl), and since then, fitness has taken a backseat. During the travails of child raising, I happened to injure my back.

My orthopaedic consultant advised me to strengthen my back on the road to recovery through stretches and swimming. I remembered about this challenge and thought that it would be a perfect opportunity to stay motivated, build my fitness again and to help further a worthy cause. 

My wife and my mother are my biggest supporters and are rooting for me to finish this challenge. I plan to swim 22 miles and have already started swimming. I’m about 4 weeks into the challenge and on average I swim 3-4 times a week. I hope to complete it in less time than 12 weeks as I intend to make use of the spring/ summer to complete the challenge. I swim at St. Helen’s School in Northwood.

I am halfway through, but I look forward to each swim session. I have never been the swiftest of swimmers, but through discipline I was able to improve my personal best (distance in a single session) by 15%. My swim sessions are a time of reflection and useful for planning out my day. They are the “Three-pipes” for my “Problems”.

It’s great news that I am currently one of the top 10 fundraisers. For sponsorship, I reached out to friends, family and colleagues over various social channels. I haven’t done anything like this before but perhaps the cause resonates with my donors and so they have been generous in giving.

Even with a minor injury (from which I hope to make a complete recovery) I could see how having spinal issues impacts the quality of daily life. Therefore, I want to support Aspire and help them make an impact on the lives of people affected by a permanent injury.

Sponsor Mehul

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