I grew up in Torquay by the seaside so have been jumping in the sea for as long as I can remember! But what really started me on “proper” open water swimming was during Covid when you could still swim outdoors and I went to give the docks nearby a try. I was instantly hooked and in 2021 did my first Olympic triathlon.

Since then I’ve mainly focussed on triathlon, culminating in Ironman Barcelona in 2023. I did that with the amazing all women triathlon community 10Ironwomen who look to promote and support women in the sport. We were the biggest tri club there - all women - and now we target races of Olympic, 70.3 and full Ironman each year.  After my ironman in 2023 I moved to Sweden and signed up to the Swedish classics - doing a big swim, big cycle, big run and big cross country ski race in 12months. The swim race was by far my favourite - 3km in the river Vansbro where I came in the top 5% of all finishers. 

I love being out in nature rather than in a pool, and the feeling you get after being in the cold fresh water is addictive. They say the swim is for the body and the open water is for the soul and I believe that.

When my mum got sick 18 months ago the only thing that I could do to take my mind off it for a few minutes was to jump in the sea in January. 

I decided to swim the English Channel because anyone who knows me knows how much I complain about the swim being too short in a triathlon, and how I start near the front of the race and end at the back! So last year I decided rather than doing runs and bike rides outside of triathlon, why not look at long distance open water swimming.

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

My team are all fellow 10IronWomen and so doing this with them was really special!  Our boat leader Jess has been super helpful with advice from doing Channel swims herself. Our first Dover weekend was a nice opportunity for the team to meet her.  I really enjoyed the Dover training weekends. I looked forward to them as they generate a bit of a buzz, not just with our team but others too.

Our Swim

Our Relay Channel Swim was amazing! What a day out! Being out in the sea, with my fellow ladies, doing amazing things, we couldn’t have had a better day!  I was the first to swim so I swam three times. I started us off in Dover (on a beach in the dark at 2am), had a stint in the separation zone with a lot of jellyfish, and then I landed us in France.  The conditions were a little bumpy for my first swim at night but once we got out it was absolutely lovely.  The sea was warm sea, not too choppy and we had glorious sunshine and blue skies. 

   

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. However, a few of the girls were super sick and one of us just couldn’t keep anything down so she was swimming on pure empty. Both her swims were super tough for her but all of us were on the side keeping her going and she absolutely knuckled down and got us forward on the most crucial bit of the swim. I am so proud of them all - everyone just got on with it and kept moving forward with strength. 

Reaching France felt surreal!  It honestly felt amazing and there were people on the shore asking what was going on and wishing us well. It was fantastic.

I have been so impressed with so many people in the lead up to this - not just in my team but in others. I’ve seen people who couldn’t be in the cold water at all smash out an hour in Dover and then get back in (semi) voluntarily. It’s one of those beautiful challenges that is not easy, but with the support of Aspire and great teammates it is within reach.

Aspire is the chosen charity for 10ironwomen - recommended by our lovely Bryony who is doing a solo Channel swim this year.  To fundraise, we’ve done a couple of events as 10IronWomen, including a spin class on International Women’s Day, and my friends, family and colleagues are super supportive. My company also does a fundraising match so any donations from colleagues are doubled which is a great bonus.

I don’t know anyone with a spinal cord injury, but we heard from Paula Craig MBE at our first Aspire information day and it was so inspiring. The thought that one day this fitness and ability could suddenly be gone, and yet the dedication and motivation she had to carry on literally brought me to tears.  As I always say when talking about Aspire and this challenge, we are lucky and privileged to get to do this and we shouldn’t forget it. If we can help to make someone’s life that bit easier or that bit more fun we should.  

I’m just a normal girl from Torquay. You see all these things and hear about them and they seem out of reach but then you realise you can do whatever you set your mind to, with some commitment to training and a positive attitude. 

As with any big event when it’s done it feels a bit weird as your purpose for the year is suddenly finished.  So I need to think what’s next.. maybe a swim round Jersey or the Bosphorus.. or perhaps even a Solo Channel swim?!

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