First Spinal Cord Injured Man in Europe to Swim Channel

On Wednesday 22nd September, James Wood completed his Channel Swim attempt becoming the first spinal cord injured man in Europe to swim the Channel. James became paraplegic at the age of 19 following a road traffic accident in 1990.

Setting off from Samphire Hoe, Dover besides the Channel Tunnel at 9.28 am and reached Calais at approximately 11.50am on Thursday 23rd September. James set off with the sun shining but had to swim the last leg of his crossing in darkness. Remaining strong James had to endure swimming near large tankers, and being carried the long way round by the tide during the last few hours of his swim. Despite being in a lot of pain with his shoulder during the last two hours James successfully completed the crossing taking approximately 14 1/2 hours.

James – Vice Chair, SIA appeared live on the new ITV morning show Daybreak studio on Monday 27th September talking about his amazing achievement of completing the Channel Swim crossing.

To watch the feature, click on http://www.itv.com/daybreak/sport/championchannelswimmer/.

He was also previously featured on Daybreak on Wednesday 15th September, about his forthcoming channel swim. Christine Bleakley, who co-presents the show with Adrian Chiles, also crossed the English Channel in 2009 by water skiing.

To watch the feature, click on http://www.itv.com/daybreak/sport/theultimatechallenge/.

Greg Whyte, Olympic Sport Scientist and Celebrity Trainer and Adviser, trained James in preparation for his Channel Swim attempt and also trained Christine when she water skied across the channel. James’ intensive training programme consisted of swimming at Hillingdon Lido, open air pool with temperatures of 16/17 degrees, Box End Lake in Bedford and Esporta in Northampton. James also undertook a 6 hour swim in the sea off Budleigh, Salteron.

Swimming the 21 nautical miles between Dover and Cap Gris Nez remains one of the hardest and most prestigious endurance challenges in the world. Fewer people have successfully swum the Channel than climbed Everest.

James joined the 100 or so people who swim the Channel each year – none of whom are spinal cord injured or have the physical impairments he does. In doing so James had to consider the following:

All swimmers develop some degree of hypothermia, an abnormally low body temperature. (this will be a major issue for James as his spinal cord injury can cause poikilothermia, a condition that carries a high risk of hypothermia)
Swimmers face being stung by jellyfish, sea sickness, diesel fumes, passing tankers, flotsam and swelling of the throat from swallowing salt water.
A handful of people have died attempting the swim.

If you are inspired by James story and would like to sponsor him, please visit: Just Giving.

Supporters of the Challenge:

Greg Whyte, Olympic Sport Scientist and Celebrity Trainer
To ensure James is in the best physical condition possible he has enlisted the services of Greg White, the trainer who successfully helped David Williams achieve the swim in 2006 for Sports Relief. James is in full swing with his training and is currently training a massive 8 hours a day. “I was taken by James Wood’s desire and approach in attempting the English Channel. I am very impressed that he is attempting the world's 'Blue Ribbon' open water swim. It is an incredibly tough challenge for a seasoned swimmer which makes James attempt all the more impressive. I am very pleased to be able to construct a training programme to help train and monitor his progression throughout the challenge,” says Greg Whyte.

Gary and Danielle Lineker are supporters of the challenge after their own experience of the devastating effect of spinal cord injury following an accident in 2007 when Danielle’s brother fell from a wall leaving him tetraplegic.

Ways to Support the Challenge:

Making a donation towards the challenge. Cheques can be made payable to ‘Spinal Injuries Association’. Please include a note to say that it is a donation towards the Channel Swim and sent in to SIA House, 2 Trueman Place, Oldbrook, Milton Keynes MK6 2HH. Our aim is to make £50,000 for the Spinal Injuries Association.
Fundraising to help raise money for the challenge e.g. holding a fundraising event to help raise money. We can also provide you with a fundraising pack to help give you lots of ideas to help raise money for the challenge.
Sponsoring James Wood’s Channel Swim Challenge online via his Just Giving Page http://www.justgiving.com/JamesAdrianWood
Helping with publicity of the Challenge in your company newsletters and emailing details of the challenge to everyone in your company to help raise awareness (if you would like a press release to help publicise the challenge please contact Sarah Tennent – Challenge Events Manager – SIA at s.tennnent@spinal.co.uk / 0845 678 6633 ex.217).

You can also follow James Wood's progress on twitter at www.twitter.com/channelswimsia.