How to Swim Across the English Channel

With a Disability

For recreational swimmers, the idea of taking on the challenge of crossing the English Channel doesn’t usually exist in their minds. What journey in the water did you have to go through before the idea came to you?

Since I was a child, I competed in swimming events for people with disabilities. First, I had to realize that I was too slow and too old to keep competing in swimming pools, yet I still had an unfulfilled desire for swimming. That’s when open water came into the picture. Three kilometers, five kilometers, seven kilometers, then ten kilometers, then Gdynia-Hel... And somewhere in the midst of all that, I fell in love with the Channel.

I definitely wasn’t looking for such a challenge. It may not sound very athletic, but this decision was more about admiration for the beauty of the Channel and a desire for the experience than about achieving something. First, I fell in love with the body of water itself. Then, I found the courage to go there and swim.

Swimming in Harmony with Values

Practice makes perfect, but it doesn’t seem like perfection is the goal here — or is it?

I wanted to do everything aligned with my values to experience the Channel for as long as possible. To achieve that, I needed my body — even with its disabilities — to be as strong as possible, and a healthy mindset capable of responding to the challenges of the swim. Training was essential for that.

I didn’t want to blindly sacrifice everything. Maintaining healthy boundaries and not treating myself harshly during the process was important to me.

And I don’t think the word “champion” exists in my personal vocabulary.

Training for Swimming Across the English Channel

What did your training look like — in the water, on land, and mentally — to accomplish this feat?

Pool: From October to May, I trained 10 times a week for 1.5 hours each session, plus occasional “crazy” sessions of 12, 8, or 6 hours. Sometimes I’d do 6–8 hours in one day and 4–6 hours the next — a combined endurance combo.

Bay: From winter to spring, I swam twice a week; in the summer and through half of autumn, around six times a week.

Land: Three times a week.

Mind: A lot of mindfulness, meditation, concentration exercises, working with a sports psychologist, and self-care.

Nutrition: This was particularly difficult for me because I tried to gain weight this year. That was a challenge in itself.

Did this allow me to cross the Channel? I don’t know. Maybe you don’t need to swim so much. Maybe more land training is the key. I feel like there’s no single recipe for success.

Open water has so many variables… You can’t control all the factors that influence whether you’ll make it across. This time, the Channel allowed me to cross — or at least didn’t interfere too much.