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In this episode Duncan & Jim talk to Cameron Bellamy.
Cameron is an extreme athlete by any standard. He has swum 100km around Barbados and from Barbados to St Lucia, a swim of over 151 km in 56 hours.
And this is just his swimming, his rowing exploits as just as fantastic.
We talked about swimming in the hot waters of the carribean, the mental aspects of swimming through the night (many times) and also how to deal with the pain of box jellies and salt mouth.

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In this captivating podcast episode, Duncan and Jim sit down with Phillip Rush, a remarkable New Zealand swimmer. Phillip’s aquatic journey is nothing short of extraordinary. Let’s dive into the highlights of his life:

Background and Achievements:

• His claim to fame lies in conquering the English Channel in both two and three-way swims. In 1987, he achieved the world record for the fastest three-way swim, completing the grueling challenge in an impressive 28 hours and 21 minutes (with the two-way segment taking just 16 hours and 10 minutes).
• Phillip’s aquatic prowess extends beyond the English Channel:
  • He has swum the English Channel a total of 10 times.
  • The Cook Strait in New Zealand has witnessed his strokes 8 times, including a remarkable Double Crossing (completed on March 13, 1984, in 16 hours and 16 minutes, and repeated on February 9, 1988, in 18 hours and 37 minutes).
  • Notably, he became the first person to achieve a double crossing of New Zealand’s Lake Taupō (a 40.2 km swim) in January 1985, setting a time record of 10 hours and 14 minutes.
• Life Beyond Swimming:
  • After retiring from competitive swimming in 1990, Phillip Rush transitioned into coaching.
  • His passion now lies in supporting and guiding swimmers embarking on solo swims around New Zealand.

Phillip Rush’s story is one of resilience, determination, and a deep love for the water. His legacy continues as he inspires the next generation of open-water swimmers. 🏊‍♂️🌊

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In this episode we (well mainly Duncan) talk to Shamima. Shamima is the mother of Shazeel, a swimmer with autism and reduced mental capacity.
We hear what water means to Shazeel and how it has always calmed him down, and the challenges of teaching him how to swim.
Shazeel & Duncan have swum together for 4 years now, training swims, short (2km) races all the way up to a 20km chopper challenge swim.
Shamima tells us what it is like to see her son swim off when she is on-shore and Duncan gives us some stories about what swimming with Shazeel is like.
Sarah O'Dywer was, and is, a key part of Shazeels swimming journey and may be able to help other disabled swimmers. Her email address is sarah.007@windowslive.com

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In this episode Duncan & Jim talk to Ryan Stramrood from his home in South Africa.
Ryan has done some amazing swimming in cold water. He has swum in the Arctic and the Antarctic as well as doing 140 Robben Island crossings. Robben Island was famously where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for many years.
Ryan has written a book called 'Push Past Impossible' where he challenges people to go beyond their own 'impossible'.
This was a great chat and he has some wonderful stories to tell.

Web: https://ryanstramrood.com/
Instagram: @Ryan_stramrood
Book: Push past impossible

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In this episode Duncan & Jim talk to James Hanson-Chong.
James is the Special Operations Manager for Event safety New Zealand and has been looking after swimmers in events large & small for years now.
We cover a number of areas:

• Safety - equipment, skills, information sources, what to look for and even what happens when sharks are around.
• The safety team & lifeguards
• Costs and the rules & regulations around running events
• The types of events he has worked at: surf lifesaving, large & small races, ice swims and individual marathon swims.
• And some swimmer behaviours and what swimmers can do to make the event better.

It was great getting an insight into what it takes to put on events and look after swimmers.
Here is James email address:
James email

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In this episode Duncan & Jim talk to Sue & Leigh Sherwin, just after Sue had swum 15km in Lake Taupo.
We talk about her early swimming career, and then picking it up later in life, swimming the length of Taupo, the Cook strait and the Foveaux strait to complete the New Zealand triple crown.
Sue has also got involved in Ice swimming. Not only does she organise a lot of ice swimming, but she has set age group world records, and represented NZ at the world champs.
She is a super granny and an inspiration to us all.

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In this episone Duncan & Jim talk about the various swim characters that (probably) exist in all swim groups.
Are you a organiser, a navigator, slow coach or a fast follower?
How does people in your swim group get into cool/cold water, do you have 'soldiers', and maybe the occasional dinosaur?

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In this episode Duncan & Jim were lucky to get this interview with Caitlin.
Caitlin is a shy athlete but we got to hear about some of her amazing swims and her intentions for the future.
Caitlin swam the Cook straight when she was 12 years old and went on to complete the New Zealand triple crown.
Since then she has successfully completed another 4 of the Oceans 7's swim, with just 2 to go.
She also did a double Taupo crossing (80km) as covid interupted her ocean 7's plan.
But we also heard about other aspects of her swimming, how she feels about sharks & other critters and the occasional tears on a swim.
We had a wonderful time talking to Caitlin, I hope you enjoy this episode too.
Caitlin's website