ENGLISH CHANNEL SOLO SWIM
I can't believe that this happened. I realized my childhood dream! I swam 15 hours and 8 minutes in 16 degrees of cold water, covering a total distance of 57 km from England to France!
🌊I started at 00:36 at midnight and swam for 4 hours in the darkness with very choppy conditions.
🌊In the 3rd hour, I couldn't feel my hands and feet because of the cold and started to worry about how I would swim for another 10-12 hours.
🌊In the 4th hour, I realized that I had lost a lot of energy and felt the inner wall - the moment when the carb reserves were getting empty, and the body tried to reach the fat reserves.
🌊In the 10th hour, I thought about stopping the swim. I saw France, but the distance looked the same, and I couldn't progress due to the tide. I swam for hours against the currents, and the distance looked the same. I asked my coach, 'Will I REALLY reach the shore?!' He said, 'YES! The opposite can't even be an option! Just keep swimming!'
🌊 In the 11th hour, I started having difficulty breathing. My nose was blocked, and my throat became swollen. It became harder and harder to breathe properly and not swallow the salty water, which became painful in the end.
🌊On the 12th hour, I was at the end of my energy level but saw the French coast and thought I would finish in one hour. I said to myself, 'I came so far, so let's continue the last meters,' without knowing that those last meters would take me another 3 hours!
What an incredible experience. It felt so surreal, like a dream, but it was pure reality. Just me, my Speedo dancing with the waves, being part of nature, kissed by jellyfish, swimming non-stop for 15 hours in 16 degrees cold water.
🌊There is no solo hero here. This channel-crossing solo is a massive team effort, a massive project!
Without my collaboration partners, the right crew, people around me, it wouldn't have ended like this. Thank you! This journey exemplifies the power of teamwork and how dreams can become a reality with the right preparation, support, and belief.
A big thank you to my main collaboration partner, Adalvo! We share the same values: #alwaysontarget#nevergiveup Thank you, Anıl Okay and Gabi Cassar!
To FITLINE. Ilona Roth, thank you for the nutrition support and guidance. It helped me maintain my energy level both at work and in the water and also speeded up my regeneration process.
To Speedo thank you for the swim products.
To the core crew for their mental coaching, emotional and technical support!
Of course, there is a backstage. Family, friends, our loved ones, the big swimming community, medical advisors, colleagues, strangers, my hypnotherapist, medical advisor, and physiotherapist, who all believed in me, sent positive vibes and supported me worldwide. So grateful. Thank you.
Out of the comfort zone, magic can happen! Go for your dreams with faith!
