In 2016, Andy Truscott became the first person to swim from the Minquiers reef to Jersey, and the following year he got his name in the record books after swimming from Jersey to France and back.
And he now has his sights set on securing a hat-trick of world firsts with a double round-Island swim – covering 160 miles – on Friday 13 July.
‘It would be incredible to achieve this third world-first. Jersey already has a long-standing reputation of having some excellent long-distance swimmers and by doing this I will hopefully be helping to put Jersey on the map in the world of endurance swimming,’ said Mr Truscott.
When asked whether he would consider swimming professionally he added that he didn’t feel there was the same development path for local swimmers as with other sports.
‘I don’t think there is the same support for swimmers in Jersey. There is no real pathway in marathon swimming like there is with other sports in the Island.
‘I have funded every single one of my swims myself, which is expensive. Just as an example, the double round-Island swim is expected to cost around £3,000.’
The 37-year-old property manager, who is father to eight year-old daughter Hayley and ten-year-old son Oliver, said he was currently training for the swim by swimming up to 18 miles a week on his own, as well as swimming with the Jersey Long Distance Swimming Club.
The marathon swimmer, who lives in St Helier, said he was inspired by Jerseywoman Sally Minty-Gravett, who completed two round-Island swims with a day’s break in between in 2016. This led Mr Truscott to consider trying the same but non-stop.
He hopes to complete the challenge in under 24 hours while raising funds for two charities, Littlefeet Environmental and the RNLI.
Anyone who is interested in making a donation towards Mr Truscott’s chosen charities can do so by visiting Justgiving.com and searching for Andy Truscott.
