Delirium, painkillers: Swimmers conquer Hong Kong seas to circumnavigate Lantau in 21 hours
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Mr Simon Holliday become the first person to circumnavigate Hong Kong’s largest island of Lantau, a distance of more than 65km.
PHOTO: AFP
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HONG KONG - After 20 hours and 56 minutes of non-stop swimming, Mr Simon Holliday hauled himself up the steps of Disneyland pier, knees almost buckling, to claim a world first.
The British marathon swimmer had just survived rough seas, testing tides and cramp to become the first person to circumnavigate Hong Kong’s largest island of Lantau, a distance of more than 65km.
Closely following the 46-year-old was American Edie Hu, who was all smiles as she took her first tentative steps on dry land after her own odyssey, lasting 21hr 28min.
“I started getting a little loopy,” Ms Hu, 50, told AFP. “I saw Yoda in the mountains.”
The pair started their adventure at 2pm local time on Nov 20, the day before, with a third swimmer in the pod, Mr Brett Kruse.
They were accompanied by a small flotilla including three kayaks and a yacht, which AFP joined to document the adventure.
Every 45 minutes, the kayakers delivered a food pack to the trio, containing everything from sports gels to bananas and painkillers.
Two observers were on board to take a log of the swim, to be sent to the Marathon Swimmers Federation, which will validate the feat.
The swimmers did not wear wetsuits – marathon swim rules mean they are not allowed in waters above 20 deg C – so the cold was one of the biggest challenges.
At around 10pm, the trio had just got through a tough section of the swim, passing through the narrow strait by Hong Kong’s international airport, when Mr Kruse started yelping in agony from cramp and was swiftly pulled onto the safety boat.
There, the American lay on a table shaking from the cold, crying out in pain, and had no choice but to retire from the venture.
“I was definitely kind of an anchor on the other two and slowing us down,” he told AFP hours later.
He had vomited twice in the sea.
Plan under threat
Without Mr Kruse, morale was falling and the meticulous plan for all the swimmers to stick together unravelling.
Mr Holliday was suffering from the cold but pulled ahead, while Ms Hu maintained a steady pace.
The swimmers were accompanied by a small flotilla including three kayaks and a yacht.
PHOTO: AFP
“No plan survives contact with the enemy,” quipped former army officer Cameron Ferguson, the navigator for the swim.
Mr Ferguson pointed out that the swimmers needed to reach Fan Lau corner by about 2am or they would be defeated by the tides.
The three kayakers were meant to be doing rotating shifts in the water, but with the swimmers split up, two were needed at all times and they were pushing through.
Mr Simon Holliday (third from right), Ms Edie Hu (third from left) and Mr Brett Kruse (second from right) at the Disneyland Resort Pier after they successfully circumnavigated Lantau.
PHOTO: AFP
Fast forward eight hours and things were looking up – they were well beyond the critical corner, the sun was rising and the currents were carrying them.
Mr Holliday’s wife Maggie joined the safety boat to witness the last leg of his swim before being dropped off at the pier to greet him with a warm hug.
“It feels really good to get out of the water, that last stretch was just so tough,” he told AFP as he shared what his first meal would be: “Cheesy beans on toast.” AFP
