Find a couple of laps challenging? Then consider these two men who just spent a month swimming from Dublin to Cork – and intend going all around the island.
David Burns and Maghnus Collins, are seasoned adventurers (or lunatics as they might otherwise be known), having already kayaked the longest distance on the Yangtze River and run 250 kilometres across the Sahara Desert. They have also completed 25 high-altitude marathons in 26 days across the Tibetan Plateau. And they are both just 31 years old.
This swim is their first adventure in their home country. It has already take 1 month to get from Dublin to Cork. They start each day about 4am and typically spend 12 hours in the water.
Most of the time they are swimming with their heads under water while battling waves of up to 3 metres in height.
“There was a certain level of monotony with it,” said David.
“You don’t get the same stimulation you would get from running or cycling.”
What has been the worst part so far?
“The cold temperatures have been the toughest factor so far,” said David. “Each day it takes me around two hours of hard swimming just to warm up.”
Coupled with this David has lost 4 kilos in the month which has made the cold even harder to bear. Nevertheless they hope to go on and complete a complete circle of the island within the next three months. If they succeed it will be the record for the longest Atlantic swim.
