Sophie Etheridge is redefining open water swimming. A marathon swimmer, coach, and disability advocate, she made history in 2023 by becoming the first person with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome to swim the English Channel solo—setting a World Record for the longest English Channel Swim at an astonishing 29 hours and 4 minutes.
In this episode of the Tough Girl Podcast, Sophie takes us behind the scenes of her record-breaking swim, sharing the physical and mental challenges she faced during nearly 30 hours in the water. From training and preparation to the unexpected obstacles that tested her resilience, Sophie’s story is a testament to determination, adaptability, and the power of a strong support team.
She also speaks about her work in making swimming more accessible, advocating for better opportunities for disabled swimmers, and why she believes everyone should have the chance to experience the freedom of open water.
Tune in for an inspiring conversation about overcoming adversity, pushing boundaries, and the true meaning of endurance.
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Show notes
- Who is Sophie
- Ultra marathon swimmer and adaptive athlete.
- Previously peaking to Sophie on the Tough Girl Podcast (TGP) in August 23rd 2022
- Being the founder of ADOWS - Adaptive and Disabled Open Water Swimmers
- What we talked about the first time we spoke on the TGP
- What was happening in 2022
- The English Channel Relay Swim
- Marathon Swimming Federation
- Thinking about doing a solo English Channel swim
- Swimming Teachers Association (STA) Conference
- Wanting to complete the original swimming triple crown as a disabled person
- Getting sponsored to swim the English Channel
- What changed going forward
- Needing to have a medical and do a qualification swim
- Wanting to learn as much as she could about swimming the English Channel solo
- Going on a swim camp in Wales by herself and travelling solo
- Why 2023 was a very quick year, but took a long time
- Sharing her goal of a solo swim
- Having 8 months to train
- Starlight - shining a light on disability swimming
- Up-skilling swimming teachers and training them how to teach disabled people how to swim
- Having no doubts and the power of words and language
- Not being able to tread water and how that changed the feeding process
- The multiple challenges that Sophie would have to face during the swim
- Having a great crew and team around her
- Going on a spring tide and getting the last slot available to swim the channel
- The fear of getting out of the water at the end of the swim and not being able to use her legs…
- Expecting to do the swim in 18/19 hours
- The strategy and the plan for the swim
- Night swimming
- Swimming sideways for 7 hours and not being able to make any progress forward
- 29hrs 4 mins…. Swimming!
- Why it became more of a mental challenge
- Aiming to swim for 24hrs!
- Setting 3 world records and not knowing until back on the boat
- Reaching France
- Getting back on the boat and heading back to England
- Not celebrating straight away
- Getting a huge amount of press
- Raising over £6,000 for STA
- Fundraising for Level Water
- How to connect with Sophie and follow along with her challenges
- Final words of advice
- Find out the starting point
- Give yourself permission to let go and to try new things
- Why you never know where the journey is going to take you
Social Media
Website/Blog: sophie-adaptive-athlete.com
Instagram: @sophie_adaptive_athlete
Facebook: @sophie_adaptive_athlete