Ned Denison spoke with International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame inductees Dr. Chris Stockdale and Kevin Murphy about their most recent English Channel crossing – as members of the oldest male relay team to swim the English Channel.
One Foot in the Wave 3 relay included 76-year-old Bob Roberts, 80-year-old Dr. Chris Stockdale, MBE, 74-year-old Andy Nation, 74-year-old Kevin Murphy, 81-year-old Robert Lloyd-Evans, and the lone Aussie, 78-year-old Don Riddington. At the average age of 77, the One Foot in the Wave 3 became the Oldest Male Relay Team to Swim the English Channel.
On October 8th 2023, the men swam from Dover to Sangatte, France, in 17 hours 5 minutes.
The first time the sextet met was on the dock at 1 am on very dark, very early morning of the crossing, together with escort pilot Simon Ellis. They got underway from Shakespeare Beach in Dover at 2:42 a.m. and landed in Sangatte, France by 7:47 p.m.
But Murphy recalled, there was an untold story and the men were very fortunate to get together in the first place – thanks to the Australian network of channel swimmers and a very willing and able Riddington. “Ten days before we were scheduled to go, I received an email that said [77-year-old] Linda Ashmore fell and had a slight bleeding on her brain and could not take part. I was on the beach at Dover, and there was an Australian relay team who suggested that I ring Don Riddington from Melbourne. ‘He would be up for something like that,’ they said. Don is 78 years old so I rang Don from the beach in Dover and asked him if he would like to come to England immediately and swim in this English Channel relay.
He said yes. The following day, he got his medical. The following day, he did his six-hour qualifying swim. And the following day, he arrived in England.
That gave us our six team members.“
Like a clutch anchor leg swimmer who comes from behind and wins a championship relay, Riddington saved the day for the rest of the five British swimmers.
Murphy added, “I decided the order of the relay swimmers. It actually worked out quite well. Our 81-year-old landed; it was appropriate that our oldest landed, Robert Lloyd-Evans.“
In this particular realm of the Guinness World Records, the team was judged by the average age. They broke the record of 73 years 318 days set by The Septuagenarians that was set on 7 September 2015. Among their swimmers was a member of the new record-setting team, Robert Lloyd-Evans, PhD, Michael Read, David Cumming, Graham Ling, Tony Cherrington, and Tony Espin.
The oldest solo female to swim across the English Channel is, coincidently, Linda Ashmore (born in 1946), who swam across the English Channel at the age of 71 years 305 days in 2018.
The conversation between the three IMSHOF honorees is enjoyable and educational – and filled with humor:
© 2024 Daily News of Open Water Swimming
“to educate, enthuse, and entertain all those who venture beyond the shoreline“