Courtesy: Hector Pardoe
Two-time British Olympian and celebrated open water swimmer, Hector Pardoe, set a new World Record, becoming the first person in history to swim Britain’s three biggest lakes – Loch Lomond (Scotland), Windermere (England), and Lake Bala (Wales) – back-to-back in a travel-inclusive time between lakes of under 24 hours. He completed the three swims, totaling over 34.5 miles in a combined swim time of 12 hours 15 minutes.
In the process, he smashed the previous World Record for Loch Lomond by an incredible 1 hour 30 minutes. Swimming through the night, starting at one minute past midnight on Saturday morning (02/08/25) in water temperatures as low as 14 degrees – he completed the gruelling 21.6 miles in a new World Record time of just 7 hours 46 minutes (7:46.15).
From Loch Lomond, he and his support team travelled the 167 miles to Lake Windermere (in which he set the current World Record back in 2023), in a fleet of electric Jeeps. He was cheered on at the finish by hundreds of supporters lining the lakeside beaches and pontoon to complete the 10.5-mile length in 3 hours 38 minutes.
After another 152 miles of driving, the next stop was Bala, and it was getting dark by the time he entered the water. Cheered on again by large groups of supporters he mustered up every ounce of energy to complete the astonishing 34.5 miles of swimming – representing almost twice the length of the English Channel, and over 2,220 lengths of a typical 25-meter public swimming pool. At the end, he was greeted by Fergus Feeney, CEO of Swim Wales, and crowned “King of the Lakes.”
In the process, he has so far raised over £6,000 for Surfers Against Sewage and highlighted the need to clean up our Waterways. Support and donations keep flooding into his Just Giving Page (Hector Pardoe is fundraising for Surfers Against Sewage).
Having completed this unprecedented endurance challenge, Hector commented, “I knew that I had the physical capability to undertake and complete this feat – but as with all endurance challenges, it’s largely a case of mind over matter and controlling any negative thoughts. At one point, near the start of my Loch Lomond Swim, I saw what looked like a large pike just a few meters away and I started to panic. I thought it might be attracted to the red lights attached to my ankles, so out of fear of being mistaken for prey in distress, I quickly turned the lights off and tried to calm my nerves. Towards the end of my Loch Lomond Swim, having been in the water for over 6 hours in the dark, I was cold and my hands and lower arms had swollen – but I got into my bunker zone and just kept telling myself to take one stroke at a time.”
“I knew that this wasn’t just about pushing my own limits; it was also about using the platform I’ve built through sport to fight for the environment that made me. Across the UK, our rivers and lakes are being polluted by sewage and agricultural runoff, making them unsafe – not just for athletes like me, but for anyone who wants to enjoy them. I knew that I had to push through my pain, cold and hunger to further highlight this issue. For me it’s all about National pride.”
“Hopefully, I have now thrown down the gauntlet for others to follow. Complete this challenge if you dare.”
Hector Pardoe is a 24-year-old GB Open Water Swimmer currently training in Loughborough where he is part of the British Swimming World Class Programme. He represented Great Britain at both the Tokyo and Paris Olympics and won bronze in the men’s 10km open water event at the 2024 World Championships in Doha.
The UK has some beautiful lakes. Next time I visit I need to swim in them!
Good to raise awareness for clean water!