An environmentalist is hoping to raise awareness of plastic pollution when he embarks on a world record attempt to swim around the Isle of Wight in under 26 hours.
Oly Rush will begin his 65-mile adventure near Seaview, taking on a challenge that has only ever been completed 4 times previously. He will be hoping to beat the current world record.
Scott Dawson, who successfully completed the swim in 2016, and world record-holding sailor Brian Thompson have joined Oly’s team for their invaluable knowledge on the tides around the Island.
Oly’s training plan has been written out by Marc Newman, a highly respected and multiple record-holding open water swimmer. The intense training programme will see training swims as long as 12 hours and up to 6 days a week. Oly also has perfomance nutrition expert David Starr from EatDrinkWin.co.uk working closely with him to ensure he is fully fuelled up for this ultra swim.
As a child, Oly was a successful competitive club swimmer and the passion for swimming and the water has never gone away. He loves the sea and is passionate about minimising the impact we all have on the oceans. Last year Oly swam 100 miles in 10 days raising money for this cause and this year’s challenge is even bigger.
Oly says:
“Plastic pollution is widespread, and I have an overwhelming urge to do as much as I can to clean it up and implement change. I’m fortunate enough to work closely with two organisations Clean Jurassic Coast CIC and Oceans To Earth CIC. We carry out vital work along the Jurassic coastline and in local education. This year’s swim will be aimed at raising awareness about the devastating impact we are having on the planet”.
It’s unclear exactly when the record attempt will take place as it depends on the state of the tide and weather conditions.
More information can be found at https://projectplanet.earth/iowswim/.
