CHARITY SWIMS SWIM FOR GOOD
Every issue we share the stories of just some of the people who use their passion for swimming to benefi t good causes…
Angela Lurssen somehow roped her friends into swimming the Channel with her
A FAIR BET Not content with taking on one endurance challenge, Susannah Gill took on fi ve. So far she’s completed four: the London Marathon, a triathlon, a modern pentathlon and a 100km walk across England’s South Downs, leaving her with (just!) a 10km open water swim to do. Gill, who works for the bet ing company Betfair, took on the tasks as part of the Gold Challenge, a scheme to encourage people to try out new sports while raising money for charity. She will be tackling the Outdoor Swimming Society’s Dart 10km swim on 3 September while raising funds for The Prostate Cancer Charity, Betfair’s charity of the year. Prostate Cancer kills one man every hour and is the most common cancer in men. “I expect this swim to be a real challenge,” says Gill. “When I did
EASIER SAID THAN DONE In July 2010 Angela Lurssen (pictured) casually asked a few friends from work whether they fancied swimming the English Channel. She soon had fi ve volunteers (Barnaby Ellis, Keith Hunt, Adam Hall, Cassie Myer and Camilla Holland) to make up a six-person team, and they set up a website (
justswim.it) – describing themselves as “swimming novices with a shared spirit of adventure”. The team set themselves ambitious fundraising targets for
fi ve charities and have so-far raised more than £11,000 for St Christopher’s Hospice, Clic Sergeant, RNLI, the Marine Conservation Society and Devon Air Ambulance. They went to great lengths to prepare, with all-weather swims at the Serpentine Swimming Club in Hyde Park, pier-to-pier laps at Brighton, and intensive cold-water training sessions with Channel supremo Freda Streeter in Dover. All that preparation paid off , with a successful Channel crossing on 21 July in 16 hours and 34 minutes. “Beforehand I thought the worst bit would be swimming in the dark, but once the sun came up we could see the jellyfi sh just beneath us, and that was pret y unnerving,” says Lurssen. Lurssen has also signed up for a solo crossing at empt in August. “It’s mad, I know, but it’s something I want to do. In a way it’s a tribute to my father who loved swimming and encouraged me to swim as a child. He died when I was young and swimming is a way I can still connect with him. It’s also a thank you to my mum for her support and all the hours she spent ferrying me to and from swimming pools.” To support the team visit
virginmoneygiving.com/team/justswimit
66
my fi rst swimming session in the pool back in January I was able to complete less than two lengths of front crawl. My technique was so bad that my stroke felt uncomfortable for all parts of my body. This is defi nitely the challenge I’m most nervous about as it’s something I would never had dared take on a year ago.” Gill has worked hard all year on her swimming, however, and has been lucky enough to have some coaching from swimming legend Karen Pickering, which she says has been invaluable. “Karen gave me some great tips on improving my technique as well as plenty of drills and exercises that have made training more productive. Much to my surprise, I’ve found that I actually like swimming in open water as it’s so much more motivating going from A to B than endless lengths in the pool.” The Gold Challenge works in partnership with the British Olympic Association and aims to get people involved in new sports and support fundraising eff orts. Gill has taken on their ‘Ultimate Challenge’. If you want to take on your own Gold Challenge, see
goldchallenge.org for details. If you wish to sponsor Gill and donate to the charity see
justgiving.com/BetfairIronLady. Betfair has promised to match everything Gill raises.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76