Ross Edgley Completes 1,600km Swim Round Iceland » Explorersweb

Ross Edgley has accomplished his newest endurance problem: over 4 months, the ultramarathon swimmer has circumnavigated Iceland. Starting in Reykjavík on May 17, Edgley swam clockwise round Iceland’s shoreline, lastly rising again on Nauthólsvík Beach on September 8. In complete, he swam 1,610km.

He accomplished the swim in a wetsuit and neoprene equipment to assist him address the unrelenting chilly. “Unlike unassisted marathon swimming — with its strict rules of no wetsuits, no breaks, and minimal support — extreme adventure swims embrace stage formats, protective gear, and creative challenges that push the frontier of exploration. Ross Edgley has been a pioneer of this movement,” The World Open Water Swimming Association (WOWSA) wrote.

 

Weather a relentless downside

Each day, Edgley lined as much as 30km, usually sticking to a schedule of six hours swimming after which six hours resting on his assist boat. At some factors, storms compelled him out of the water for days at a time. In the week earlier than ending, he needed to pause for just a few days due to a hurricane off the coast of Iceland.

Before beginning the swim, Edgley and his workforce knew that climate circumstances could be a relentless subject. They organized visas in order that they may keep in Iceland over the allotted 90 days. In complete, it took Edgely 114 days to finish.

“It has been the toughest and most ambitious challenge I have attempted yet. Iceland provided an incredible opportunity to test my physical and mental limits. The country has provided some insane experiences I will never forget,” Edgely informed Sky News.

A satellite tv for pc picture displaying Edgley’s route. Image: Zero Six Zero

 

Carb loading

The water was often between 3°C and 5°C, and virtually all the time uneven. Distance swimming mixed with the chilly meant Edgley needed to eat between 10,000 and 15,000 energy a day. Pasta and Icelandic liquorice have been staples of his survival menu. Whilst within the water, he tried to absorb 120g of carbohydrates each hour, even when he was not hungry. This helped him keep in a “perpetual state of carb loading.”

He ready his physique for the chilly earlier than the swim began. “I ended up putting on about 10-15kg of pure fat. A bit of muscle as well, but a lot of fat. When you look at what sort of animals survive in Iceland, there’s the idea of sea blubber. You want insulation, you want body fat.”

Photo: Ross Edgley

 

As along with his different lengthy ocean swims, the saltwater wreaked havoc on his tongue. It was typically swollen and, ultimately, elements of it began to fall off due to the fixed publicity. Aside from the problems along with his tongue, he suffered from excessive wetsuit chafing and stated his physique took a “consistent battering…you just do your best to keep it in some sort of shape, controlling the inevitable breakdown of your body, hoping that you get back into Reykjavik.”

A full land and water assist workforce accompanied him all through the swim, offering shelter, vitamin, medical assist, and logistical coordination. Though he has been solo swimming, it has on no account been a solo effort. Before beginning, the workforce spent months collectively getting ready. In the times main as much as the swim, they spent a lot of their time practising varied security situations, for instance, how they’d get Edgely again within the boat in harmful situations.

An ocean survey

Edgley additionally teamed up with researchers to collect environmental DNA samples, gauge microplastic air pollution, and conduct the first-ever e-DNA research round Iceland’s complete shoreline as a part of an EU undertaking known as Bioprotect. “Swimming day in and day out gave us a unique perspective on the ocean. It was a privilege to support real-time research that could aid future conservation efforts,” Edgley stated.

The thought for the swim first got here from chatting with actor Chris Hemsworth. They determined that swimming round Iceland could be the closest you possibly can get to swimming round Asgard, the house of Thor (the character performed by Hemsworth in a number of Marvel movies). That was all Edgely wanted to start out planning, and Hemsworth has been following the swim carefully.

“Ross breaks the mould and redefines endurance sport and adventure. He’s what happens when tough and crazy collide. This wasn’t just a swim, it was an epic saga that now takes its rightful place in Icelandic folklore,” Hemsworth commented.

 

Edgely isn’t any stranger to excessive, and typically barely weird, swim challenges. In 2018, he swam 3,000km round mainland Great Britain. In 2024, he accomplished a stage swim down the Yukon River, and he has additionally swum throughout the Caribbean Sea whereas towing a 100lb log. Now, WOWSA is reviewing his Iceland swim, evaluating GPS tracks, observer logs, and photographic/video proof, to formally ratify Edgley’s journey as the primary documented assisted stage swim round Iceland.