After 157 days in the water, Ross Edgley completes 1,791-mile swim around Great Britain

(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/ITV News)

published 5 November 2018

Ross Edgley has some stories to tell about the last 157 days.

On Sunday, the 33-year-old became the first swimmer to circumnavigate Great Britain, The Guardian reports. Edgley set out on June 1, and over the course of the 1,791-mile swim, he had amazing experiences — in the Bristol Channel, a female minke whale swam next to him for several miles — and some scary ones: He was stung by jellyfish 37 times, for example, and the exposure to saltwater led to the disintegration of part of his tongue. His swim was "hands down, the hardest thing to do on so many levels," he said. "Physical, mental. I felt a fatigue that I've never felt before. The neurotransmitters, chemical signals in the brain, were just like, 'What are you doing?'"

Edgley swam for 12 hours every day, and at night, he slept on a catamaran. He was joined by a three-person team, and to keep up his stamina, he ate 10,000 to 15,000 calories every day. After being in the water for 157 days, it felt strange to finally stand on solid ground, he told The Guardian. "I got out of the water and thought, 'This is gonna be amazing, I'll run in like Baywatch,'" Edgley said, but once he "made it to dry land, I was just relieved I didn't fully fall over." Catherine Garcia