‘I’m right here to assist folks … that offers me a superpower’: one man’s problem to swim 10 Swiss lakes | Swimming

The bodily effort as he battles currents, coldness and wind is huge, however the psychological problem of ploughing on alone for hours on finish is much more testing.

Neil Gilson, a father of three from Devon, is about to set off on the subsequent leg of his try to turn into the primary particular person to swim the ten largest lakes in Switzerland, a complete of about 230 miles.

If 39-year-old Gilson succeeds, Guinness World Records is predicted to recognise him as the primary to finish the Legend of the Lakes problem and in subsequent years, different ultra-swimmers could attempt to do it extra shortly.

Gilson, a former worldwide swimmer, is endeavor the problem to attract consideration to a neuropsychiatric situation that affected his son Jack when aged 18 months. “It is a huge mental and physical challenge, but I’m determined to complete it to raise awareness of the condition that changed my son’s life,” he mentioned.

Gilson was as soon as ranked second in Britain for the 1500-metre freestyle and after ending race swimming, turned to endurance challenges. In 2024, he did a world record swim across Lac Léman (Lake Geneva), finishing 45 miles in 22 hours and 9 minutes. But that was not sufficient. “I love the lakes and the scenery and came up with the idea of the 10 largest lakes in Switzerland because it just sounded like a big, exciting challenge.”

Gilson, who runs the household’s lodge, trains at a leisure centre (daybreak within the pool and night-time within the fitness center after the kids have gone to mattress) and the ocean off the north Devon coast.

But he mentioned the lakes have been far more demanding than the ocean. “They’re more unpredictable. With the sea you know the tide times so you can calculate your swim to get the tidal push, but you can’t do that in the lakes.

“You can get some really choppy conditions because of the wind. These lakes have almost got their own climates because they’re such big bodies of water. There could be bright sunshine a mile away but over the lake there’s thunderstorms,” he mentioned.

The water temperature of the Swiss lakes presently of yr is broadly akin to the ocean off north Devon – about 20C – however Gilson mentioned the issue was that you might hit “walls” of chilly water. “The cold patches can get you – places where the water is cold because of runoff from the Alps. It’s not a consistent temperature.”

Gilson has already swum two of the lakes: Lugano (18 miles) and Constance (39 miles). This month he’ll tackle Neuchâtel (23 miles, about 10 hours of swimming) and Biel (9 miles, 5 hours). He plans to do the opposite six subsequent yr.

On Constance, the most important problem was the impact of the Rhine. “The current flow is huge there,” mentioned Gilson. In Léman – considered one of subsequent yr’s targets – there’s a whirlpool impact to barter. “We’ll try to loop around that.”

While he must be tremendous match, being mentally ready is much more vital. “I would say it’s 30% physical fitness, 70% mental. I don’t think about the swim as a whole. I won’t think I’ve got a 70km swim. I’ll just be thinking I’m going to go in and swim, stroke after stroke.

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“I swim to the next feed – I stop every half hour for a drink, every hour for food – and I think about that hour and what I can achieve in that hour. I also tell myself, ‘I’m in here by choice’, and the reason why is to help people like my son so that gives you a bit of a superpower.”

It can be meditative. “You just relax, try not to overthink and just be in the moment. The phrase I use is ‘time is timeless’. I also have these chants – each stroke I’ll repeat the names of my family members. You need these techniques because it is lonely. Though you’re in these beautiful settings, really all I’m looking at is the support boat. I breathe to the same side and the support boat is on my right every time so it’s just the same view.”

Gilson is elevating consciousness and funds for youngsters affected by Pans and Pandas, circumstances that have an effect on the mind. People with Pans or Pandas expertise quite a lot of signs, ranging from mental health symptoms to changes in behaviour and difficulties with movement.

His son was recognized with Pandas after catching tonsillitis. “He went to bed a happy, healthy little boy, and woke up as someone we didn’t recognise – he was gripped by aggression, OCD [obsessive-compulsive disorder], tics and intense fear; he refused to eat, wouldn’t leave the house or even speak. It was terrifying.”

Jack is now 9 and doing properly. “I’m sharing our story through this challenge to help other families still searching for answers,” Neil mentioned.