12 Ways To Beat The Night Train Swimmers

Courtesy of WOWSA, Lake Windermere, England. Six people are taking to England’s largest lake, Lake Windermere, in a 12-way attempt to beat the Night Train Swimmers world record for a non-stop lake open water swimming record (108 nautical miles or 200 km).

It will be a relay that will go down in the annals of great lake swims.

Thomas Noblett explains, “The team was selected based on their strong characters, good team-playing qualities and ability to withstand the cold.

Our support crew include boat pilot Andrew “The Admiral” Tighe and Clare Noblett. The records we are trying to break include the 3-way Windermere record of 15:26:26, the 4-way Windermere record of 20:35:24, the 5-way Windermere record of 25:57:43 and the 6-way Windermere record of 32:32:44 all set in 2007. We would be the first team to complete a 12-way Windermere relay and we are aiming to break the world record for the longest relay swim in a Lake (200 km set by the Night Train Swimmers in Lake Powell, Arizona, USA last year).“

The teammates who will swim a total of 126 miles include Liane Llewellyn (29), Thomas Noblett (48), Keith Bartolo (35), Michelle Lefton (24), Michelle Sharples (41) and Dee Llewellyn (33).

Liane has been the British Long Distance Swimming Association (BLDSA) Junior Swimmer of the Year 1997, BLDSA Swimmer of the Year 2002 and 2008, completed Loch Ness (22 miles), BLDSA Swim of the Year Award 2005 and 2009, completed a record-setting Rathlin-to-Ballycastle Swim, 15 miles from Newburgh to Tayport, a 3-way Coniston swim (15.75 miles), a 2-way English Channel in 27.5 hours, Loch Lomond winner in 2002 and 2008), member of a 3-way English Channel relay that received the Channel Swimming Association Award for best 2-way relay swim, fastest female relay and greatest feat of endurance in 2004), a world-record 3-way Loch Ness Relay, English Channel Relay that received the Channel Swimming Association Award for the best 1-way relay swim and fastest female relay in 2006, and a 2-Way Windermere and part of a 3-Way Windermere Relay in 2010.

Thomas was the BLDSA Swimmer of the Year 2009, and did a 2-Way Windermere, Windermere, Ullswater, Derwentwater, Coniston, Coniston Veterans, Channel attempts and part of a 3-Way Windermere Relay in 2010, Champion of Champions Dover, Liverpool docks and a 15K Loch Sheelin.

Keith from Malta has done 1998 Loch Earn (Scotland), Champion of Champions (Dover), Italian National Open Water League, Torbay and Windermere.

Michelle did the English Channel, Windermere and part of a 3-Way Windermere relay in 2010, a 2-Person Channel Relay and Loch Lomond.

Dee represented England and won the Junior International Coniston swim in 1993, was the BLDSA Swimmer of the Year 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, did the BLDSA Swim of the Year 2007, set a world record for a 10-Way Tay swim, completed Dundee, Loch Lomond (current Championship record holder from 2004 and won in 1998, 2000 and 2004), did the English Channel in 2003, was the Lake Zurich 25K winner in 1999, Lake Lucerne 5 km winner in 1999), Loch Rannoch 10-mile winner and record holder in 2000, Tampa Bay Marathon Swim, did 2-Way Windermere (set record in 1997 and won in 1999, 2001, 2007), won the Loch Erne 10-miles in 2008), set a 3-way English Channel Relay record, a 3-Way Loch Ness Relay record, did English Channel Relays that were awarded by the Channel Swimming Association for the best 1-way relay swim and fastest female relay in 2006, and was part of a 3-Way Windermere relay in 2010.

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