Two-time Olympic marathon swimmer Hector Pardoe (24, Great Britain, MSF bio here, World Aquatics bio here) just returned from the 2025 World Aquatics Championships. After competing in the 10 km race in the 30°C water of Sentosa island in Singapore, he shifted his gears to three colder water solo swims.
He set his sights on swimming Great Britain’s three biggest lakes – Loch Lomond in Scotland, Windermere in England, and Lake Bala in Wales back-to-back-to-back in a travel inclusive time between lakes of under 24 hours.
He was well under his goal times for his Three Lakes Challenge.
He completed the three swims, totalling over 34.5 miles in a combined swim time of 12 hours 15 minutes.
He started his adventure at one minute past midnight on the shore of Loch Lomond on August 2nd wearing a wetsuit in the 14° water. In the darkness, he swam the 21.6-mile course in 7 hours 46 minutes 15 seconds.
From Loch Lomond, he and his support team travelled 167 miles to Lake Windermere where he set the current course record in 2023 via a caravan of electric Jeeps. He was cheered on at the finish by hundreds lining the lakeside beaches and pontoon where he completed the 10.5-mile length in 3 hours 38 minutes.
He jumped in his Jeep again and traveled another 152 miles driving to the next stop of Laka Bala. Day turned into night by the
time Pardoe entered the water. With a large group of supporters at the shore, he swam the 4 miles to the other end of Bala in 49 minutes 46 seconds where he was greeted by Fergus Feeney, CEO of Swim Wales also known as the King of the Lakes.
He raised over £6,000 for Surfers Against Sewage in a campaign to clean up waterways. “I knew that I had the physical capability to undertake and complete this feat – but as with all endurance challenges it’s largely a case of mind over matter and controlling
any negative thoughts. At one point, near the start of my Loch Lomond Swim, I saw what looked like a large pike just a few meters away and I started to panic.
I thought it might be attracted to the red lights attached to my ankles, so out of fear of being mistaken for prey in distress, I quickly turned the lights off and tried to calm my nerves.
Towards the end of my Loch Lomond Swim, I was in the water for over 6 hours in the dark. I was cold and my hands and lower arms had swollen – but I got into my bunker zone and just kept telling myself to take one stroke at a time. I knew that this wasn’t just about pushing my own limits; it was also about using the platform I’ve built through sport to fight for the environment that made me. Across the UK, our rivers and lakes are being polluted by sewage and agricultural runoff, making them unsafe – not just for athletes like me, but for anyone who wants to enjoy them. I knew that I had to push through my pain, cold and hunger to further highlight this issue. For me it’s all about National pride.
Hopefully I have now thrown down the gauntlet for others to follow. Complete this challenge if you dare.”
Besides becoming the first British swimmer to swim under 5 hours in a 25 km open water (at the 2020 French Open Water Championships), Pardoe also competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and finished sixth at the 2024 Paris Olympics marathon swim. He won a bronze medal at the 2024 World Championships in Doha, has been a vegetarian since birth, is a keen cook, and was sponsored for his 3 Lakes Challenge by Jeep, Cameron House Hotel, and Bala Lake Hotel.
© 2025 Daily News of Open Water Swimming
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