Story · Swim
English Channel
33.8 km
The first swim across the Channel.
Swim 33.8 km. The straight line from Dover to Calais.
- It stands on
- Gibraltar
What it takes
Before you go.
- Recommended first
- Gibraltar
- Weekly distance
- About 34 km of swimming a week on average over 6 weeks
- Long swim
- 3.2 km, at least once in the last 6 weeks. Finishing Gibraltar counts
- Taper
- An easier week before the event week
The story
In August 1875 Matthew Webb swam from Dover to Calais in 21 h 45 min. It was the first recognised swim across the Channel without aids. 33.8 km is the straight line; he swam much further. Source: Guinness World Records.
The ladder
- Ice mile/
- Swim to Antarctica/
- Between the monsters/
- Across the Cold War/
- Hellespont/
- Plum Pudding/
- Grettir's swim/
- Cadets' eight/
- Thames at 14/
- Hatchling's swim/
- 10 km/
- Gibraltar/
- English Channel