Ross Edgley’s 1,000-Mile Iceland Swim Was So Excessive Even His Tongue Fell Aside

If you adopted his earlier exploits – most notably changing into the primary particular person to swim round Great Britain – you’ll know that Edgley has former in the case of redefining what aquatic endurance seems like. Iceland upped the ante when it comes to circumstances weathered although. He swam via 60-foot waves and hurricane techniques. He handled hypothermia, relentless seasickness, rotting salt wounds and the specter of rhabdomyolysis – a probably deadly situation the place muscle tissue begins to interrupt down beneath excessive stress. At one level, his urine turned darkish brown, a pink flag no endurance athlete ever needs to see. And nonetheless, most days, he acquired again within the water.

The story – in all of it’s brutal, unusual, and infrequently gross glory – is now being informed in full in The Great Icelandic Swim with Ross Edgley, a brand new three-part documentary sequence airing on Channel 4 from March 7.

Each episode charts a distinct stretch of Iceland’s shoreline, from the storm-lashed west, to the Arctic north, and at last the unstable east and south, the place melting glaciers, volcanic terrain and a late-season hurricane threatened to finish the swim for good.

Along the best way Edgley helps rescue stranded pilot whales, swims alongside feeding humpbacks, and collects environmental DNA (eDNA) samples from the encompassing waters – a low-key however significant scientific thread operating via the expedition; designed to assist researchers higher perceive Iceland’s marine biodiversity and inform future conservation efforts. Between swims, he wanders via fishing villages, listens to native folklore, and displays on why he’s drawn to this specific flavour of hardship within the first place.

There’s additionally a way more private stress operating effervescent beneath the entire journey. Back dwelling, Edgley’s accomplice, Hester Sabery, was pregnant with their first youngster. Every storm delay and each compelled relaxation day, tightened the timeline, creating a really actual ultimatum… Finish the swim, or miss the delivery. A human twist to Edgley’s standard superhuman feats.

Edgley himself describes the Iceland swim as ‘the most extreme, brutal swim I’ve ever undertaken,’ pushing him to the brink bodily and mentally. Others are much less understated. Chris Hemsworth calls it ‘an epic saga’ that rewrites the bounds of endurance, whereas Bear Grylls – a person who is aware of from expertise – say that surviving tough, ice-cold seas like these ‘takes commitment and resilience to another level.

And yes, if you’re questioning: his tongue did get well. Eventually.

The Great Icelandic Swim with Ross Edgley airs on Channel 4 from March 7.

With virtually 18 years within the well being and health area as a private coach, nutritionist, breath coach and author, Andrew has spent almost half of his life exploring how you can assist individuals enhance their our bodies and minds.    

As our health editor he prides himself on holding Men’s Health on the forefront of dependable, relatable and credible health info, whether or not that’s via writing and testing hundreds of exercises every year, taking deep dives into the science behind muscle constructing and fats loss or exploring the psychology of efficiency and restoration.   

Whilst always updating his information base with seminars and programs, Andrew is a lover of the sensible as a lot as the speculation and frequently places his coaching to the take a look at tackling every little thing from Crossfit and strongman competitions, to extremely marathons, to a number of 24 hour exercise stints and (extraordinarily unofficial) world file makes an attempt.   

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