www.thesouthafrican.com
12 - 18 November 2013
Issue 540
SA’S SEAN CONWAY 1ST TO SWIM LENGTH OF BRITAIN
INSIDE:
p3 | South Africans abroad not yet able to register for elections
| Zululander turned Briton completed his record-breaking charity swim from Land’s End to John O’Groats on Monday
p7 | Hugh Masekela and Larry Willis to headline London Jazz Festival
BY HEATHER WALKER
p14 | Tokyo earthquake can’t rattle golden boy Chad Le Clos
SOUTH African endurance adventurer Sean Conway is the first person to swim more than 1,000 miles along the length of Britain. Conway, who was born in Zimbabwe and grew up in KwaZulu-Natal, left Land’s End on 30 June and finally reached John O’Groats on Monday 11 November – a journey originally estimated to take three months. However, the epic swim was delayed by unpredictable tides, logistical issues and a detour along the coast of Ireland. Conway, currently based in the UK, refers to his childhood in southern Africa as the ‘fuel’ for the life he has made for himself: as well as a thrill-seeker, he is a professional photographer, fine artist, motivational speaker and a published writer. Last year the self-confessed ‘ginger nutter’ cycled solo unsupported 16,000 miles around the world for Solar Aid, a charity working to abolish the use of kerosene lamps in Africa, and his long swim has raised more than £6,000 for the charity War Child. He was supported by a four-person team on a tiny boat, all. He was guided by skipper Em Bell, who kayaked the entire way alongside him. Conway’s daily routine involved waking up at 4am (or any other time depending on the tides) dressing, sprinting in the water for a minute to warm up then drinking warm fluids from a thermos. He would swim for about four hours in a five to six hour tide,
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eating every 90 minutes. It took Sean about two months to finally work out the best way to balance comfort with keeping warm in the water. His winning ensemble consisted of neoprene tri cap under a swimming cap, silicone ear plugs to stop swimmer’s ear, goggles, wetsuit, hooded thermal sleeveless, and neoprene booties over socks. “These socks went round the world with me and I just wanted to take them on a new adventure. I probably don’t need them but they have history,” he explained. Along the way Conway was interviewed several times on BBC TV and by radio stations around the world. He has swum with dolphins and seals and had a few nasty jelly fish stings. Kenton Kirkwood, a childhood friend and former SA professional swimmer, even flew over to Ireland to swim with Conway for four days to help boost his morale. The five-month swim has taken its toll on Conway’s body. Despite drinking protein shakes, he has struggled with massive weight loss and long-term fatigue. He was welcomed to John O’Groats on Monday by a crowd of friends, family and supporters, including his proud mother Babette Pinder.Pinder said, “I cannot believe the spontaneous generosity of people from around the world towards a young man from South Africa on his nutty epic adventure. “I think a memory he will always have is when they docked on the Isle of Eigg. The locals all came to the pub that night to meet him and his support crew. They passed a bucket around for his charity. Early
|JUST KEEP SWIMMING: South African Sean Conway prepares for the last stretch of his epic journey along the length of Britain.
the next morning when Sean left to carry on his swim after a good sleep in a bed, a shower and food all given free by the locals, all the pipers on the island came down the hill in the mist to the harbour to serenade Sean on his way,” she said. He swam the Midmar Mile at the age of 10 and throughout his teens competed in many endurance kayak
marathons. “I know that it was his early life in Zululand where his dad Tony Conway works for KZN Parks and we lived in Ndumu, Hluhluwe and Umfolozi game reserves where Sean got his love of nature and sense of adventure, and also Clifton Prep and Hilton School he attended,” said his mother.
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