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Endurance swimmer in hospital after breaking record for longest ever open swim in Loch Ness

Ross Edgley has broken the record for the longest ever open water swim in Loch Ness - spending 52 hours and 39 minutes swimming without touching land or a boat
Ross Edgley has broken the record for the longest ever open water swim in Loch Ness - spending 52 hours and 39 minutes swimming without touching land or a boat

Extreme adventurer Ross Edgley has broken the record for the longest ever open water swim in Loch Ness.

Spending 52 hours and 39 minutes covering approximately 49 miles (79km) in the loch, Mr Edgley swam continuously without touching land or a boat for a continuous period of more than two days and nights – enduring temperatures as low as 5C.

He also battled winds of up to 20 knots and long periods of overnight rain, and said it was “one of the biggest challenges” of his career.

He said: “It was one of the biggest challenges of my career physically and mentally, but the important purpose behind it really motivated me to push myself as far as I did and I’m so proud to have inspired people to make a difference.

“I wanted to thank everyone for their immense support and in particular the incredible hospitality I have received here in Scotland.”

The swim stopped at Fort Augustus on Friday – falling short of Mr Edgley’s original attempt to beat the world record for the longest ever open swim in tideless water.

On Saturday, Mr Edgley – who has been training for a year – posted on social media from a hospital bed, possibly due to the chilly temperatures he endured.

Spurred on by beautiful surroundings

In the Tweet, Mr Edgley, from Grantham, Lincolnshire, said: “Thank you so much for all the kind messages of support. As you can tell the swim didn’t go entirely to plan.

“Will update properly later, but wanted to publish a huge post of gratitude to everyone and say a giant thank you to my amazing support team.”

The Loch Ness swim also aimed to raise more awareness of preserving sea kelp forests in Scotland.

Mr Edgley added: “The longer I’ve been working with Talisker and Parley the more I’ve learnt about sea kelp and how essential the preservation of these amazing sea kelp forests are.”

He was spurred on by the beauty of the natural surroundings of the Highlands and even had a flypast from aircraft above.

The swim is currently in the process of being ratified by the British Long Distance Swimming Association.

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