Jonny Ratcliffe, 31, will swim the English Channel on Wednesday, September 20, in aid of LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall. To donate, CLICK HERE
The 21-mile route will see him take on deceptively powerful tides, cross one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes and dodge an unwelcome number of jellyfish. Often dubbed ‘The Everest of Swimming’, it is among the most challenging open water swims in the world.
The crossing can last anywhere between 10 to 17 hours and the rules are strict: swimmers may not wear wetsuits or have any physical contact with another person or accompanying boat throughout the swim.
While at school Jonny had been a keen swimmer, competing at county level for Cheshire. He later got back into swimming as part of a recovery from a slipped disk in 2021. The recovery training soon became training for the English Channel and for the last couple of years he has been training with Red Top Performance in London.
As part of the training Jonny has competed in a number of competitions and challenges so far this year, including a three-person relay of the English Channel and a nine-mile race across Torbay back in July.
Commenting on the challenge ahead, Jonny said: “I’m hugely excited and nervous to be taking on the English Channel in September. It’s going to be a significant mental and physical test, but I’m determined to do it and raise as much money for Stonewall as possible in the process.
“I’ve been training hard for the past couple of years and I’m grateful for the support of my partner, friends, family, and Red Top Performance, and am looking forward to getting out there“
To donate, CLICK HERE
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