A British dad has set a world record after becoming the first to swim Switzerland’s 10 largest lakes.
Neil Gilson battled freezing water and exhaustion to complete the gruelling challenge covering a total of 233 miles.
The 40-year-old finished his ‘Legend of the Lakes’ challenge by swimming the length of Lake Geneva on Wednesday in just over 22 hours.
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The 45-mile swim was the final and longest leg of his two-year challenge, as reported by What’s The Jam.
Neil, a hotelier from Ilfracombe, Devon, said: “It’s a long swim, 10 hours of darkness and lots of pain.”
“I was a little bit broken, lots of little niggles and sore bits, but really pleased that I’ve managed to get it done.”
The rules meant Neil had to swim continuously without touching the support boat, with food and drink suspended from a cup on a pole while he treaded water to eat and drink.
The Lake Geneva Swimming Association observed and piloted all 10 swims, while Guinness World Records will now verify whether Neil has achieved a world first.
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Neil took on the challenge to raise money and awareness for PANS PANDAS UK and The Brain Charity.
The cause is particularly close to his heart after his son Jack developed a condition called PANDAS as a young child.
Neil had already swum 88 hours and 192 miles before taking on the final lake, battling extreme fatigue, strong currents and freezing temperatures caused by runoff from the Alps.
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Ahead of the final swim, he admitted the size and unpredictable conditions of Lake Geneva made it difficult to prepare.
He said: “There’s a bit of nerves; it’s the big one and the longest out of all of them.
“It’s unpredictable with the currents and the weather system – so that’s a big unknown, which is hard to prepare for.
“You have to swim under a certain set of rules to make it an official swim; you have to be by the side of the boat for breaks but can’t touch anything.
“When you drink or eat, you have to tread water, so it’s 22 hours of constant swimming.
“Just the size of the lake and the length of the swim, you can’t predict things.
“You have a plan, but there’s always something that throws you off.
“Things like swimming into the night are always a worry, as you don’t know what will happen to the air or water temperatures.
“You break it down and just swim to each hour.
“I have gone through the night a few times – it’s just about meditating, relaxing and about not overthinking things.”
Neil’s fundraising challenge has also helped shine a light on PANS and PANDAS, rare conditions that can cause neuropsychiatric symptoms in children.
Jack was just 18 months old when he developed the condition after suffering tonsillitis.
Neil previously described how his son went from being a “happy, healthy little boy” to experiencing aggression, OCD, tics and intense fear.
He said Jack also refused to eat, would not leave the house or speak and eventually began losing his fingernails and toenails.
Jack was eventually diagnosed with PANDAS at the age of three.
Now 10, he is doing well and has returned to a largely normal life.
Neil said: “Jack is doing very well.
“We have not really looked back since his diagnosis aged three.
“Now he lives a pretty much normal life, goes to school, smashes all the sports he does.
“He can get flares, but he can deal with it better now because he is older and understands it better.
“Now we just want to help other families who don’t know about the condition or are going through it.”
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