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A Jerseyman with ambitious plans to compete in a 250-mile “super” triathlon next month has started his warm-up by swimming the English Channel.
It took Andy Truscott 13 hours 57 minutes to make the 21-mile crossing.
He’d planned to do the swim last year but weather conditions were so bad he never got in. This time they were near perfect. He left Dover just before 10 in the morning and in a textbook crossing landed near Cap Gris Nez in France just before midnight.
According to Mr Truscott “the sea was perfectly calm. There were lots of tankers and lots of jellyfish but they didn’t pose any real problems. I had a little “wobble” about nine hours in when I thought I might not make it. But, that’s normal. Today my wrists and shoulders are a little sore, but apart from that I feel fine.”
Andy did the swim, and will be do doing the triathlon, to raise money and awareness for Jersey Hospice Care. His father, Nigel, who was a well-known police officer and was involved with St John Ambulance for more than 40 years, died of leukaemia at Hospice three years ago.
In about 15 days’ time Mr Truscott and ultra-marathon runner Paul Burrows will be taking on another challenge and racing each other in what they’ve dubbed the “Arch to Arc."
They’ll start by running 11 miles – from the Jersey Hospice Arch in People’s Park in St Helier to St Catherine’s Breakwater. After that they’ll swim 21 miles to Port Bail in France. Finally they’ll cycle approximately 218 miles to the L’Arc De Triomphe in Paris. They estimate it should take them between 35 and 40 hours, plus time for any breaks.
Paul Burrows says “I have done a few big challenges for Jersey Hospice Care – notably the Marathon Des Sables in 2013 and I ran around the Island seven times in seven days in 2014. The thought of the swim is something that is very scary. I have been training to try and get to a decent standard to be able to complete the challenge. Until I get in the water to swim to France though, I won’t truly know if I have done enough.”
So as to coincide with the tides the challenge is planned to take place between Tuesday 2nd and Saturday 6th August.
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