Lewis Pugh completes 330-mile swim in support of protecting our oceans
Lewis Pugh, Beyond Sport Award winner, UN ‘Patron of the Oceans’ and renowned endurance swimmer, has completed an unprecedented length of the English Channel, a 330-mile journey which has taken 49 days, half a million strokes and 98,000 calories.
The main purpose of embarking on 'The Long Swim' was to call on the British government to urgently protect the seas around the UK coast and British overseas territories. Pugh wants at least 30% of the world's oceans to be protected by 2030 - the current figure stands at around 4%.
Our consultancy arm, thinkBeyond, worked with the Lewis Pugh Foundation to strategically shape the campaign message, secure sponsorship and manage partnerships for The Long Swim event.
In particular, thinkBeyond secured Lead Partner FXTM, Official Partner Speedo and Lead Broadcast Partner Sky, which covered the Swim every day across its news channels as part of the media giant's commitment to healthy oceans.
Pugh completed the journey on Wednesday afternoon to become the first person to achieve the feat without use of a wetsuit and flippers. Pushing his body to the limit, the 48-year-old had to make do with up to four hours of sleep a day as he swam between six and 12 miles every 24 hours.
About 1,800 people have swum across the English Channel since Captain Mathew Webb first did so in 1875. However, no-one has ever attempted to swim the length of the Channel according to Channel Swimming Association rules – just wearing Speedo swimming trunks, cap and goggles.
Pugh said he was "relieved and exhilarated" to complete the challenge, adding "there were concerns before I started about whether I would even finish".
He added: "I would like a nice long rest and very good sleep but very soon I head off to the G7 summit, where protecting oceans will be top of the agenda, and we've got the High Seas Convention where all the nations of the world are coming together to discuss how we can protect the oceans beyond our jurisdiction."
'The Long Swim' started in the middle of a heatwave, but conditions changed considerably by August and Pugh found himself struggling every day with a painful shoulder injury. Along the way, he swam with dolphins, jellyfish and plenty of plastic.
One of those to welcome Pugh home in Dover was Environment Secretary Michael Gove, who described the swimmer as a "modern day hero".
Mr Gove said: "The Long Swim has brought to everyone's attention how important our seas are. It has taken enormous dedication and he's an inspiration to us all."
The campaign is supported by lead partner, global forex broker FXTM, and Speedo as an official partner. The partnership marks the first global CSR initiative for FXTM.
Surfers Against Sewage, one of the UK's leading marine conservation charities, was the partner hosting regular beach clean-ups along the swim route.
Beyond Sport Founder & President Nick Keller was at Dover on Wednesday to welcome Pugh home from his epic journey. He said:
"We were truly honored to be a part of 'The Long Swim' team, supporting our thinkBeyond client Lewis Pugh as he completed his 560km swim of the English Channel to call attention to our ocean's collapsing ecosystems. We were happy to bring on sponsors to make the initiative a reality and bolster the urgent call on the British government to protect at least 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030."
Speaking after the final leg of the challenge, Lewis Pugh commented: “Completing The Long Swim is my biggest achievement in all of the years I have been swimming and campaigning for ocean issues.
“But I see this as just the start – we now need to see urgent action from the British Government to protect the seas along the UK coastline.
“During The Long Swim, I saw plastic on picturesque Cornish beaches, I found party balloons five miles off the coast at Brighton and saw countless other examples of the impact of climate change and human behaviour on UK waters. If the British Government doesn’t do more to protect our coastline, it will be our generation, not futures ones, who see the true impact of inaction on their coastline.”
Plymouth-born Pugh has built a global reputation for his work to raise awareness about the state of the world’s oceans through a series of extraordinary sporting challenges.
His latest achievement follows a pivotal role in creating the largest Marine Protected Area in the world in the Ross Sea off Antarctica.
The completion of the Long Swim marks the start of a worldwide campaign entitled Action for Oceans, an initiative that is calling on governments to fully protect at least 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.