Roger Allsopp completed his second English Channel swim – this time as a 70-year-old – in 17 hours 51 minutes to become the oldest person to ever complete an English Channel swim.
Conditions were reportedly not ideal (6m spring tide) and his course from England to France was anything but straight (see his plotting from the Spot Tracker aboard his escort boat), but Roger proved him was just the man to swim into history.
A growing number of individuals over the age of 50 have successfully completed the Half Century Club in the English Channel. These aquatic adventurers prove that some things do get better with age (see below).
Roger said after his record-setting swim, “I’m just really thrilled that I did make it and that I haven’t let anyone down. The conditions weren’t as bad as they were the first time I did it, but yet it seemed harder. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older. I would never do it again – I can make a solemn pledge that I will never do it again – I’ll have to find something else. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without my support team – we had been waiting for 10 days to do it and they stuck around and helped motivate me“.
Roger’s efforts resulted in donations in excess of £300,000. The money will go to Hope for Guernsey which supports the Wessex Medical Trust to buy medical equipment that will help advance cancer research undertaken by the University of Southampton.
1. Roger Allsopp (England), 70 years and 4 months, England-to-France in 17:51 in 2011
2. George Brunstad (USA), 70 years and 3 days, England-to-France in 15:59 in 2004
3. Clifford Batts (Australia), 67, France-to-English in 18:37 in 1987
4. Ashby Harper (USA), 65, E/F in 13:52 in 1982
5. Roger Allsopp (England), 65, E/F in 15:30 in 2006
6. Sue Oldham (Australia), 65, E/F in 17:11 in 2010
7. Michael Read (England), 63, E/F in 15:29 in 2004
8. Veljko Rogosic (Croatia), 63, E/F in 11:27 in 2004
9. Robert West (UUSA), 61, E/F in 15:35 in 1996
10. Sue Oldham (Australia), 61, E/F in 16:03 in 2006
11. Jean-Paul Madelenat (France), 60, E/F in 14:46 in 2002
12. Linda Ashmore (England), 60, E/F in 15:11 in 2007
13. Vijaya Claxton (USA), 59, E/F in 22:27 in 2007
14. James (Doc) Counsilman (USA), 58, E/F in 13:07
15. Mo Siegel (USA), 58, E/F in 14:18
16. Carol Sing (USA), 57, E/F in 12:32 in 1999
17. Kevin Murphy (England), 57, E/F in 15:14 in 2006
18. Alan Macleay (England), 57, E/F in 22:14 in 2006
19. Peter Urrea (USA), 56, E/F in 14:38 in 1996
20. Kevin Murphy (England), 56, E/F in 13:35 in 2005
21. Jackie Cobell (England), 56, E/F in 28:44 in 2010
22. Duke Dahlin (USA), 55, E/F in 14:37 in 2003
23. Christopher Blakeslee (USA), 54, E/F in 14:44 in 2004
24. Michael Miller (USA), 54, E/F in 16:10 in 2008
25. Otto Thaning (South Africa), 53, E/F in 10:29 in 1994
26. Klaus Stutzer (Germany), 53, E/F in 14:09 in 1997
27. Morris Finkelstein (USA), 53, E/F in 15:21 in 2003
27. Bill Hoehn (USA), 53, E/F in 15:53 in 2004
28. Hugh Tucker (South Africa), 53, E/F in 13:37 in 2004
29. Tom Hecker (USA), 53, E/F in 15:21 in 2005
30. Steven Smith (England), 53, E/F in 14:28 in 2005
32. Vasanti Niemz (Germany), 53, E/F in 16:50 in 2010
33. Dan Richards (USA), 53, E/F in 12:32 in 2010
34. Henry Eckstein (USA), 52, E/F in 14:24 in 2000
35. Peter Jurzynski (USA), 53, E/F in 17:18 in 2004
36. Peter Jurzynski (USA), 52, E/F in 14:57 in 2003
37. Dennis Dressel (USA), 52, E/F in 12:08 in 2003
38. Jorge Rikarday (Mexico), 52, E/F in 20:24 in 2003
39. Tim Cheesman (England), 52, E/F in 15:07 in 2007
40. Elizabeth Fry (USA), 52, E/F/E in 24:39 (13:20 + 11:19) in 2011
41. Tim Cheesman (England), 52, E/F in 15:07 in 2007
42. Gilles Chalandon (USA), 52, E/F in 14:31 in 2010
43. Kevin Murphy (England), 51, E/F in 14:29 in 2000
44. Peter Jurzynski (USA), 51, E/F in 17:08 in 2002
45. Anne Cleveland (USA), 51, E/F in 11:33 in 2007
46. Michael Ball (England), 51, E/F in 12:55 in 2009
47. Nancy Steadman-Martin (USA), 50, E/F in 11:20 in 2004
48. James Fitzpatrick (USA), 50, E/F in 14:32 in 2005
49. Frank Chalmers (Scotland), 50, E/F in 16:48 in 2005
50. Timothy Cheesman (England), 50, E/F in 16:14 in 2005
51. Terry O’Brien (Australia), 50, E/F in 15:50 in 2006
52. Antonio Argüelles (Mexico), 50, E/F in 12:54 in 2009
53. Jim Bayles (USA), 50, E/F in 10:59 in 2002
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