18 km using the butterfly stroke

The challenge – swimming across the Gulf of Gdańsk in butterfly

You took on the challenge of swimming across the Gulf of Gdańsk in open water using the butterfly stroke. What made you decide to do that?

What was the hardest part and what was the most enjoyable?
Yes, I chose the butterfly stroke because I’ve been training since I was six years old, and this stroke has become my favourite – I’d even go as far as to say that I fell in love with it. I felt that swimming across the Gulf of Gdańsk using freestyle wouldn’t really be a challenge for me or require much preparation. But butterfly? For that I definitely had to train hard.

Motivation to swim the Baltic

What drove me to do it? Definitely my friend, Bartek Kubkowski, who this year made his fourth attempt to swim across the Baltic Sea. Our phone conversations and seeing how much he helps others and how positive his outlook on life is made me think: I want that too! You only live once, so it’s a shame to waste time and not pursue your dreams.

To be honest, there was nothing particularly hard or particularly easy about it. I just took incredible joy in the whole process of preparing to swim across the Gulf. Every day I started with a walk with my dog, thinking: I can help others and at the same time make my dream come true! That gave me strength that felt almost superhuman.

The fact that many people who heard about my plans said it was impossible and that there was no way I would do it only gave me even more motivation and confidence that I would.

Training and preparations for the challenge

Preparing for such a challenge takes time. What do you do for a living and how did you find the time to prepare?

On a daily basis, I work as a swimming coach at the Feel the Water Academy, and together with my friends I run the Just Chill podcast and marketing studio. Finding time to prepare wasn’t difficult.

Just like many of my friends go to the gym every day, play football or simply stay physically active, I was able to find at least an hour a day for training.

I swam a maximum of three times a week and additionally did stabilisation exercises plus stretching every day. I listened to my body and – importantly – I made sure not to overtrain. I gradually, but very gently, increased the intensity of my workouts, which allowed me to keep that constant hunger for training.

Swimming gear – AQUA SPEED Vortex Mirror goggles

You were swimming in our goggles, which are usually chosen by open water swimmers who swim freestyle… How did they perform?

Yes, I swam in your goggles, which I actually won during an open water competition in Ślesin. I competed there in the 1.9 km race and, of course, as a test before the Gulf, I swam it butterfly in 31 minutes, taking 2nd place in my age category.

What’s best about the Vortex is that the goggles don’t put pressure on the eye sockets. In open water swimming or during ULTRA challenges like this, it’s really important that the goggles don’t cause any discomfort. During training I used many different models from various brands, and all of them pressed uncomfortably, while the Vortex model instantly made the choice obvious. 

What’s next? Łukasz Borkowski’s next challenges

What’s next? We were all surprised that you swam AQUA SPEED Open Water in butterfly, and now the Gulf of Gdańsk… Tell us about your next crazy project!

Your appetite grows as you eat, and this case is no different. I’m very interested in the English Channel. Interestingly, three people in the world have already swum it using the butterfly stroke. As you can see, it’s possible. The record time is 14 hours and 18 minutes – and of course I aspire not only to make it across, but to do it in record time.

I’m approaching this with great humility, because I know the distance will be twice as long, around 34 km, but I have a positive mindset and we’ll see what the future brings.

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Interview by: Maciej Mazerant / Managing Editor of AQUA SPEED Magazine

Photos: Łukasz Borkowski