Photos and report courtesy of Ryan Stramwood (52, South Africa, MSF bio here, IISA bio here, hashtag#pushpastimpossiblle™️).
Cameron Bellamy (43, South Africa, MSF bio here, @cam_ubunye) is an adventurer of extremes. He has completed the Oceans Seven, the 90 km Swim Around Barbados in 40 hours 46 minutes in 2018, and a 151 km crossing from Barbados to St. Lucia in 56 hours 55 minutes in 2918 as part of his unique Ubunye Challenge.
A highly intelligent professional based in San Francisco, he has also rowed 6,720 km across the Indian Ocean from Geraldton, Australia to Mahé, Seychelles in 57 days in 2014, cycled 6,000 km from Beijing, China to Kanyakumari, India along the Silk Road over 4 months, cycled 1,500 km from Lands End to John o’ Groats, a ride from the southernmost tip of the UK to its northernmost tip in 6 days, and cycled 1,000 km across Colombia, a ride over the Andes mountain range from Cartagena to Manizales.
So when he traveled to Lake Issyk Kul in Kyrgyzstan, he would be writing another chapter in his life’s adventures.
Stramrood writes about the 55 km crossing of the lake in Kyrgyzstan. “Having trained with Cameron in Lake Tahoe and Cape Town, my support included pace swimming with him for 22% of the distance (1 hour at a time) and in-water mental support in his darkest hours (physically and mentally). The rest of the time was hard work overcoming many curveballs, language barriers and constant trouble shooting to ensure no disruptions and only positive vibes to our swimmer against all odds.
What an incredible challenge and team to be a part of and an honor to be trusted with the responsibility. I gained huge added value with real ‘deep end’ insights into what makes the perfect team in the harshest and most precarious situations.
Cameron did brilliantly. Finishing the distance in 18 hours and 18 minutes (to be ratified). A long day and night on (and in) the water with an exceptional team result.
Now some time to immerse into Kyrgystan culture for a new set of learnings before heading home.“
Bellamy explained his purpose and extreme sports background, “From the age of 13, I started rowing and continued through high school and university. I rowed at a high level and represented South Africa at the 2003 U23 World Rowing Championships and the 2004 World University Championships. After I finished my post-graduate studies in Australia, I moved to Beijing, China for work and decided to stop rowing.
I lived in China for three years. In my final year there, I decided to quit my job, buy a bicycle and cycle out of China in a westerly direction. Four months later, I ended up in Kanyakamari, India, after cycling for 5,000 miles in four months. The reason for finishing the cycle was that I had run out of financial resources. My previous company managed to fit me into a job in London, and that’s where I went next.
After completing that cycling trip, I decided to get into endurance sports. My initial aims were to cycle the United Kingdom from south to north in seven days, swim the English Channel, and then row across an ocean. I’ve completed those events, and more, under the banner of a charity I created called the Ubunye Challenge. The Ubunye Challenge is an initiative to raise funds for sustainable development in the poorest areas of Africa through sports challenges [see here].
Swimming was not his primary sport, but it soon became a passion, “I swam the English Channel in June 2012. Training for that swim started in November 2011. I previously had no swimming training or experience, barring a couple of triathlons, here and there. I had never really swum before, so yes it was. As I was new to swimming, I needed a lot of technical work. I found a great coach in Ray Gibbs of Swim Canary Wharf in London. He helped me swim with a very modern long distance freestyle technique. In terms of endurance, it wasn’t too difficult to transition from rowing and cycling to swimming.“
Bellamy just posted on his Instagram page, “18 hours and 18 minutes. 53 km across the width of Lake Issyk Kul. One of the most beautiful swims of my life — calm, clear water surrounded by the Tian Shan mountains. Grateful to my incredible support crew, the local pilots who guided us safely across, and everyone who helped make this crossing possible.
In 2009 I hiked over the Tian Shan mountains and caught my first glimpse of Issyk Kul. I promised I’d return. Years later, after becoming an open water swimmer (including a 151 km Barbados–St Lucia crossing), a friend, Dusty Nicol, suggested Issyk Kul as my next challenge.
Dusty introduced me to Slava, who connected me with Bektur. Soon I met him, Kirill, and Nurik, who worked tirelessly to organize this swim. The Ministry of Emergency Services initially agreed to support us, but setbacks followed: my teammates Ryan and Andrew had visas denied twice (then miraculously approved as I flew out), boat crews fell through, and the Ministry pulled their vessel the day before the swim to respond to a mountain emergency.
Last minute, we secured another captain, Bakyt. At 3 a.m. we boarded the boat, only to find the generator broken. Ryan went off to hunt for a new one, but just in time it was fixed. At 5:30 a.m. we finally started.
The forecast was doubtful, but the lake rewarded us with glassy calm water and breathtaking mountain views. It felt like karma after all the hurdles just to reach the start line.
The swim itself was one of my best. Over the past month I trained closely with my coach Ray Gibbs at Swim Canary Wharf, making big stroke changes that paid off. I owe part of how good I felt to Ray’s guidance.
Huge thanks to my crew — Ryan Stramrood , Andrew Mitchell, Mark Farmer, and Lanie VV (our official observer). This was more than a swim: it was an adventure, a test, and a privilege to experience Issyk Kul in this way.“
An adventurous life well-lived, for sure.
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