Questions from a 9-year old

A few days ago I received a message from my old swimming friend Kris. We swam together in age group meets in Connecticut. Kris' 9-year old son, Ethan has taken an interest in my swim and has a few questions about channel swimming.

Ethan wants to know:

1) How much weight do you expect to lose on your swim?
I don't know exactly how much weight I will loose. My guess is a 3-5 pounds. To have enough energy to keep swimming for such a long time, I will need to get 500-800 calories an hour.

2) What stroke are you swimming?
I will swim freestyle.

3) How do you swim at night? Do you get tired?
A double channel crossing will take at least 24 hours so I will have to swim at night. When I did my solo swim in 2008, I started at 3:30 p.m. and finished at 2:30 a.m. in France. It was very dark and I could not see the French shore until I was a few hundred yards away. All I could see was my boat and the lights from the ferries and the lighthouse at Cap Gris Nez France.

I attach glow sticks to the back of my suit and goggle straps so my crew can see me in the dark. I swim next to my escort boat. I rely on the boat to guide me because I can't see anything in the dark.

Swimming at night during my 2008 English Channel swim

I do get tired and my arms get sore, but I keep swimming until the next time my crew feeds me. Then I can have a short rest before swimming again.

4) Are you scared about sharks?
I am not worried about sharks in the English Channel. I think the water is probably too cold for them.

When I first moved to Australia a year ago, I was nervous about swimming in the ocean because of sharks. The only shark I have seen was a Port Jackson shark which is considered harmless to humans. I knew that it was a harmless shark so I stopped to watch it for a while.

5) How and what do you eat?
To keep swimming for such a long time I need to eat a lot. But it is hard to stop to eat in the water so I mostly have high calorie drinks. I mix a carbohydrate powder into juice or tea. Having warm drinks helps to keep me warm. I also eat nutrition bars or bananas. Sometimes my crew rewards me with a candy bar.

I am not allowed to get out of the water or touch the boat during my swim or I will be disqualified. My crew throws me a water bottle tied to a rope. For other snacks, they hold a basket tied to a pole over the side so I can reach in and get the food.

Feeding time during the South Head Roughwater 10K, Sydney 

Thank you for your questions, Ethan. Good luck in your open water swim and triathlon! And here's a photo of your mom and I in 1986.

Maastricht 1986