A LONG-DISTANCE swimmer has caused confusion on TikTok and prompted a new audience to learn about the Island – after they thought she was swimming to France from the USA.
Georgia Mould, who completed a swim across the English Channel in July last year, is working towards a Jersey to France swim in August. This, she said, would be a step towards her “ultimate goal” – the Triple Crown of open water swimming, the English Channel, the Catalina Channel and the 20 Bridges circumnavigating Manhattan.
But a video on social media platform TikTok about her preparation unexpectedly gained traction in New Jersey – and the mix-up led thousands of commenters to ask how swimmers regularly cross the ocean in seven hours.
“For some reason, this carousel went viral in New Jersey,” she said, adding that it had probably gained traction from just one or two people from the state who interacted with it.
Her favourite comments, she said, were the ones that were “unquestioningly supportive” and “just accepted” that she would swim the 3,000 miles that separate Atlantic City from Brest. The real swim is about 14 miles in a straight line, but tides mean it is actually closer to 15-18 miles.
The 2,400 comments on the post included: “Wait I’d never considered the concept of old Jersey”.
Several were surprised at how close they were to Europe, wondering why they didn’t go on more weekend trips.
“As someone who lives in NJ, I read this whole thing and fully believed I could do this too,” another added.
Some of her viewers said they struggled to calculate how swimming and flying could take the same amount of time, or saying that she was “now from New Jersey and we’re rooting for you”.
“I’m so relieved I’m not alone in the comments,” said another.
And one person added: “Good luck swimming to France from wherever your Jersey is!”
Mrs Mould’s TikTok features her showing how she fits long-distance swimming training around a full-time job in London, and the challenges she faces on her swims and in her preparation.
After a difficult period, she said she needed a cha
Having pushed herself to the point of burnout when she was preparing for her Channel swim, she said she was planning on being gentler with herself this time around.
“I can be quite hard on myself… I found myself trying to do everything in my life as best I could and I didn’t accept I needed to lessen the load on some things.”
She said she expected to skip some sessions and take easier days, adding: “This time, I’m being kinder to myself and not feeling guilty about it.”
Her wife, she said, was “very supportive” and was happy to stay in at the weekends to work around big training sessions.
“I’m just excited to be in the original Jersey,” she said.
Mrs Mould is due to swim in a window of time starting on 11 August, with the exact date dependent on conditions.
