Dear all,
As you know we’ve been having considerable problems with the boat we chartered for the trans-atlantic swim leg of the Global Triathlon. The boat was due to arrive in the US on 5 April 2012 ready for a departure on the 15th April 2012. I was physically and mentally prepared to swim the 8 hours a day for 4 to 6 months that the expedition would require. I had assembled a professional and dedicated crew to support me. We were good to go.
But over the past nine weeks instead of fighting the waves myself, the captain and crew have been fighting to make the boat seaworthy. We have had serious problems with almost every system on the boat. We’ve now missed the weather window in the year that would make a swim possible. Even if we were able to get the boat ready in the next month the swim would not be possible. We are now 7 weeks into hurricane season which would affect the first 1000miles and even using the best case scenario projections the last thousnad miles would be swum in October and November under the influence of the violent, seasonal north Atlantic depressions.
I cannot risk the safety of my crew or myself and therefore it is with a heavy heart that I have to delay the swim for a year.
I have two options now:
1) Delay. Continue training and preparing with the aim of starting of the trip until next April.
2) Do the bike and the run first and finish with the swim.
I’ve written a list of pros and cons for both of these and will take a week or so to decide which route to take. As always input would be welcomed on this issue. You can get in touch on twitter here, facebook here or in the comments section below.
I want to thank everyone for supporting me over the past few months. It has been massively appreciated.
Dan Martin
Sorry to hear this Dan.
My hunch would be just to get started – do the ride and the run. Get some momentum…
Al
Finish with the swim!
When you’re ready to do the swim next April I’ll skip part of the way!
Way to go man.
s
Hi Dan,
Been following with enthusiasm. My heart says, simply be a go getter and do the swim last. My head realises this would mean an undefined swim date and (assuming the swim date is still within bounds), you will not have swam a stroke for a year or so, whilst you attend to the other tasks.
It is the right thing to do to come home and rethink the journey for a couple weeks.
If it were me (and it may well have been), I would come home and retrain the swim…….then do something rather British and make a race of it with Ben Fogle.
Comparisons in the media will be huge and a new horizon of adventuring will be broadcast around the world. With Dave Cornthwaite and his Missouri swim this year, two Atlantic swims and a Pacific swim next year, maybe my swim after that. We can get long distance swimming go beyond one swim in one day and turn it from just a sport to another form of adventure travel.
An Atlantic Swimming Race…….reminds me of something…..Yes, it was Billy Butlin that came up with an English Channel race back in the 50s. It revolutionised long distance swimming.
You and Ben Fogle could really make a splash. Maybe one or two other swimmers could be persuaded (maybe me too), especially if the rules of the race were very loose and the swimmers could choose their prefered method. You in skin, Ben in rubber, another in fins/monofin, maybe even interest a certain Croatian. A bit like Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines….all different methods and nobody complains.
A media banquet, sponsors dream and the birth of a new concept in adventuring.
Of course, when its all done, you still have the rest of the Planet to travel……You can do that on your own……I am too old and my wife wouldn’t let me.
Gutted to hear about the problems Dan but the answer to your question has got to be: get under way now. Start cycling, start running.
We’ll all still be cheering you on in two years’ time (or however long it takes).
Gutted to hear about your delay. I really feel for you and can’t imagine how frustrating it must be. I think it would be good to get going on the other two legs of the triathalon. I know it’ll mean it’s hard to get in shape for the swim when the time comes but there are probably few countries more suited to weightgain than America.
Best of luck either way.
Sorry for you Dan, but can you not do some other big multiday shore to shore “training” swim this year to test things out and maybe get some more valuable experience for the big thing? On the other hand I felt with this delay your lifespan has been extended a little longer once again (not concerned about the swim, but rather the biking with the wolves in Siberia in winter and running with the polar bears in Alaska)
Bad luck with the boat. I think you should re-train for the swim – it will be by far the toughest part of the race. You’ll need to be ultra fit and bulked up. When Martin Strell swam the Amazon he said it was absolutely impossible to not lose weight, no matter how much food he ate. He ate 8,000 to 9,000 calories a day and went from 96kg to 59kg. He started the race as bulked up as possible just to finish. So get eating!