Trailblazer And Inspiration At 75 Years
Malcolm Humphreys, a 75-year-old member of the Devizes Masters Swimming Club, is setting an example for swimmers in Thailand.Humphreys set a world record in his recent swim across the 4.24 nautical mile (7.85 km) strait between the Royal Varuna Yacht Club to Koh Lan Island in the Bay of Bangkok in Thailand (see photo on left). He was escorted by two boats during his unprecedented 2 hour 59 minute swim.
“It had never been done before but it looked so inviting. Gareth Owen, a former world champion catamaran sailor, became my mentor and it was his encouragement as much as anything that got me through it. I had a window of three hours to complete the swim before the next tide came through and I did it in two hours and 59 minutes. People are now talking about swimming out to the island as a challenge they have to take up, so I have achieved something at least.”A fittingly fantastic achievement to say the least.
Copyright © 2012 by Open Water Source
Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards, Oceans Seven, Openwaterpedia, Daily News of Open Water Swimming and founder of WOWSA. Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor - Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame's Poseidon Award (2016), International Swimming Hall of Fame's Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award (2010).
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