Shedding Light On Chloë McCardel's 16-Hour Swim

Shedding Light On Chloë McCardel’s 16-Hour Swim

Steven Munatones 01/30/2014 Open Water Swimming No Comment
Swimming and endurance sports fans and spectators can watch Chloë McCardel swim 16 hours non-stop live here.

Husband Paul McQueeney explains, “Chloë will attempt the world-first indoor swim of 16 hours non-stop in a free-standing ‘swim spa’ that will be streamed live via the Internet from midnight January 31st AEDT.

Chloë will swim the equivalent of one and a half crossings of the English Channel, swimming into a series of water jets for resistance at the SPASA Pool & Spa and Outdoor Living Expo at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre on Saturday.

What goes behind such a swim? Chloë sheds some light on the event:

Daily News of Open Water Swimming: What challenges do you face?

Chloë McCardel: Although I have had a few practice swims of up to 3 hours I have never swum in a SwimSpa for an extended period of time so this is, in a way, unfamiliar territory. But as I have swum for 25 hours in the freezing cold English Channel I am confident I will be able to last the distance.

Daily News of Open Water Swimming: How are these challenges different than your normal marathon swims?

Chloë McCardel: Luckily, the Leisurescape SwimSpa (leisurescapespas.com.au) have jets where the speed and direction are adjustable. In addition, the water temperature is adjustable so we are going to keep it at a comfortable temperature. I believe being able to control the jets, water temperature and not being at the mercy of the elements / tides etc all combine to reduce my energy expenditure compared to a standard 16 hour marathon. I am really looking forward to this unique challenge.

Daily News of Open Water Swimming: Did you train any differently for this swim than your other marathon swims?

Chloë McCardel: Usually I increase my open water swimming leading up to a marathon. Leading into cold water marathons for example I increase my cold water swimming to accelerate my acclimitisation to the cold. The difference this time round is that I have been doing practice swims in the Leisurescape Spa and extra training exclusively in the swimming pool both in my regular squad and by myself.

Daily News of Open Water Swimming: Who is your observer?

Chloë McCardel: Kevin Choates will be the Official Observer for the entire swim. His a keen triathlete who has been competing in the sport of triathlon for 9 years. He is registered with Triathlon Australia. He is also a qualified and practicing Triathlon Australia Technical Official and has been so for 5 years. Kevin was nominated by a member of the Triathlon community in Melbourne and he was not previously known to me or my support crew prior to the official announcement of the swim attempt. Originally, I was hoping to have a Swimming Victoria Technical Official, but none were available due to the State Championships which were held shortly before the SwimSpa Record attempt.

Daily News of Open Water Swimming: At what pace will you swim?

Chloë McCardel: My last double crossing of the English Channel took 19hrs50min. So I think I could possibly swim at a pace which would be the equivalent to the distance of one and a half crossings of the English Channel. It is very hard to say. I am hoping to mix up my strokes more than I would for a marathon swim and swim a little slower to conserve energy and have lots of fun.

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