I started swimming in the mid 1990’s just to keep fit. I joined Howe Bridge Marlins Long Distance Swimming Club and swam my first outdoor race at the Humberside Festival of Swimming, a two-mile race in Grimsby docks.
I tackled longer and longer swims and in 1998 I swam Lake Windermere, England’s longest lake, finishing 4th in the BLDSA championship.
In 1999 I completed the Round Manhattan Island Race – the longest annual swimming race in the world.
In 2001 I swam two lengths of Lake Windermere in the BLDSA Championships.
In 2002 I successfully swam the English Channel with the Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation.