The Para V (or the Para Five) is a group of any 5 open water swims over 1 mile (1.6 km) that has been completed by individuals who are physically or mentally disabled. The Para V, developed by Jonty Warneken at the 2014 Global Open Water Swimming Conference, includes any 5 different open water swims in any part of the world including the following regions:
• Africa
• Americas
• Asia
• Europe
• Oceania
Warneken is one of the leading Para V swimmers. An esteemed group that includes:
- Salvatore Cimmino (Italy): qualified by completing the Swimming in the Seas of the Globe (A Nuoto nei Mari del Globo) that included a 17 km crossing of Lake Tiberias (Sea of Galilee) in Israel, a 21 km crossing of Trieste/Koper in Italy/Slovenia, a 42 km swim in Rio Paranà in Coronda, Argentina, a 15 km swim in Mexico’s Sumidero Canyon, a 20 km swim in Vancouver, Canada, a 20 km crossing of Cook Strait in New Zealand, a 20 km in Brisbane, Australia, a 40 km crossing of Lake Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and a 48 km circumnavigation at the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim in New York.
- Philippe Croizon (France): qualified by completing crossings of the English Channel and Bering Strait, etc.
- Andrew Smilley (Cayman Islands): qualified by completing the RCP Tiburon Mile, Special Olympics World Summer Games, Pirates Week 5k Swim, CIASA 2 Mile Sea Swim, etc.
- Tina Deeken (Germany): qualified by completing a 17.5 km crossing of Wörthersee, an 11 km crossing of Lake Constance, the 14 km Lighthouse Swim Open Water Kiel, the 14 km Wakenitzman Lübeck, a 10 km Oslo-Fjord crossing in Norway, and many others.
- Caroline Block, PhD (USA): qualified by completing the North Channel (3 times), Santa Cruz Channel, Santa Rosa Channel, Anacapa Channel, Lake George (3 times including one two-way crossing), DC Marathon, and many others.
Warneken etched up the Para V difficulty scale with a 15 hour 24 minute crossing of the North Channel, 35 km from Northern Ireland to Scotland two days ago.
His unprecedented feat has been achieved by 134 able-bodied swimmer, but the cold water swim took on special meaning not only for Warneken, but also for other amputees. Warneken, who lost his left leg after a car crash in 1994, described his swim on Facebook, “It’s been a life changing few days with my solo swim of the North Channel, and I owe a lot of thank yous. The thing with ‘solo’ swims is they are not ‘solo’. Sure you have to swim it yourself, you can’t get towed or pushed along, but to get to the point of where you are in the middle of a sea swimming takes a huge team of people and a huge amount of support from friends, family and colleagues here in the UK and all over the world.
The biggest thanks goes to Penny my wife. I couldn’t do anything without her 100% support, her love, and backing. The sacrifices she makes to enable me to do the swims I do, should not be understated and I am truly grateful.
To my parents, brother, sister in law and all my family who have always been a great support since I was born. They were there when I was lying in hospital for 6 months not knowing what was happening and they helped rebuild me to who and what I am today.
A huge thanks to Padraig Mallon Jacqueline McClelland and all at infinity Channel Swimming who gave me the best chance to be successful and are happy to help para swimmers achieve their dreams. To Milo for his stern yet funny mid channel ‘motivational’ talk, which I won’t ever forget. A HUGE thanks to David Burke (who is the Lord Mayor of the North Channel); if it wasn’t for his passion for the sport @teambitsmissing would never have been the first para relay team to cross the North Channel with Mary Clewlow, Kate Sunley and Andrew Smith. It is because of David that I had the opportunity to see if it was possible that a para/amputee swimmer could solo the NC and having him on the boat with Milo, Penny and Padraig meant I never once had to worry about anything apart from keeping swimming.
To Leon Fryer, Jane Crosby and the whole team at Swimyourswim who are simply the kindest and most supportive group of swimmers I have the privilege to swim and volunteer with. I owe them all a debt of gratitude I fear I can’t repay for the all the support they give me. To my training buddies Jacqui Hargrave and Kim Jordan who have the ability to push me further than I think in training, make it such fun and make me laugh so much, it hurts more than the training. I am so grateful for the laughs and the stern chats and messages before my big swims when the doubts begin to creep in. To Claire Brumby for her advice and laughs and being far more capable at getting our podcast #swimsnackchat off the ground than I am. To Andrea Stark and Richard Powell for allowing me to relay the English Channel with you; making me realise I maybe ok at this channel game!
Nicola Doran and her son, we owe a massive thanks. Not only does Nicola Doran support me in my Para V quest to encourage more dis swimmers to open water swim, but she was kind enough to allow us to crash at her home both times we were over. The swimmers reading this will appreciate how important have a comfortable, restful base is to use whilst you do your final prep for these long swims. To David, Martina Mcgarvey and Trisha who at one time or another had the unpleasantness of having me as a house guest, thank you for your kind hospitality!
To all the swim communities in Camlough, Donaghadee, and Ballywater, you have made me and Penny so welcome, thank you for your kindness, generosity and warmth of welcome each time we have visited.
To Ram Barkai, my fellow IISA board members for their continued support for me personally as a swimmer, but also para ice swimmers in general and have ensured para ice swimming is one of the worlds most inclusive sports. To Ger Kennedy who reminded me of how long we have known each other, just thanks for the advice and well everything we have done! To Kate Steels for all the advice and chats and the rest of the GB IISA Board and swimmers for all the support and help they have provided. Massive thanks to Pauline Matthews, my first swim coach who recognised in me something I didn’t and said to me I could do an Ice Mile and also I had the capability to swim the channel. Not sure we envisaged it being the North, but heh, always good to start with a tough one! Also to Bev and Morgan Evolve Endurance Tri & Swim Squad thank you for the coaching, I will be back training once I have recovered! To Bob Bolton for the piece of advice that I think unlocked the channel for me!
To all my friends from home, my pals from school and uni, friends from the swim world, friends from around the world; my ex teachers, the wider Stonyhurst Community and to those who I have just met thank you all for all the support and encouragement that enables me just to keep on doing what I love doing. Some of you will realise that ‘dot watching’ on a tracker is quite addictive! You all won’t realise how much I think about you all when I am out on long training swims or undertaking these long endurance swims I have done.
And finally thanks should be given to all the doctors Coire Smith, Ruth Williamson, nurses Kerry Mortimer and surgeons who rebuilt me after the crash, and continue to do so, 29 years and 12+ operations later. And to my prothetist who keeps me mobile and supplied with legs that enables me do the things I love to do, I can’t thank you all enough.
And for those I haven’t specifically mentioned my sincere apologies, its been a long couple of weeks and please don’t think I am not grateful, I am.
Thank you all, see I told you its not a solo sport.“
© 2023 Daily News of Open Water Swimming
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