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Kaise Stephan – Swimmer, English Channel and Cancer Fundraiser (Part 3 of 3)

By Admin | December 13, 2008

Why did you have to get back in the boat once you got to France? Couldn’t you have just stayed in France overnight?

Yes, back to the boat. I did not have a visa to stay in France nor a passport on me!! I understand that channel swimmers are granted permission to stay on French soil for ten minutes without needing any documents.

While planning for the swim it made sense to me to go back to Dover as we – full crew, family and I – were already set up comfortably there. Any subsequent travels could occur post recovery.

How did you celebrate swimming the Channel?

I lifted both arms above my head, i could still do that. No running around the beach at Cap Griz Nez no cartwheels, just lots of real joy.

Also a dinner with family, my cousin, and the whole support crew that night.

Who was in your support boat during your swim?

Two family members. Dad and sister – my wife was on land with 10 month old son -, my coach Daniel Esposito, feeder, support swimmer Ryan Ainley, communication person back to Australia, a CSA qualified referee to ensure the CSA rules are adhered to, boat captain, and two of his crew

What did your support swimmer do?

My support swimmer got in every second hour for one hour at a time after the first four hours for pacing and companionship. Ryan swam around five hours of the total twelve hour thirty minute swim.

Did you take any breaks while you were swimming to eat and/or drink?

Every 40 minutes I was stopping for thirty seconds to sixty seconds to feed. Feeding time should be reduced to a minimun to avoid hypothermia and avoid losing valuable distance due to the action of the tides. Feeds had Gatorade, glucose with water mixture, bannana, jelly beans, vitamin supplement midway and towards the end some chocolate.

Do you think you will ever do it again?

Perhaps the Channel, perhaps another swim, although I need a strong reason.

What is next for your swimming career?

Not sure.

What advice would you give someone who wants to swim the Channel?

Be prepared. Prepare for the worst but hope for the best. It is better to be over-prepared than under-prepared. I can talk a lot about the preparation but I refer www.channelcrossingforlife.com for more information and reference sites. There are also lots of good websites connected to the bodies governing Channel crossings (Channel Swimming Association and Channel Swimming and Pilots Federation.)

What did your family think of your swim?

They were very pleased and very relieved with the outcome. My family was so supportive. I would like to thank my wife Svetlana, my parents Dr Said and Armenouhi, my brother Hanna and sister Sherien for their amazing support. I would like to thank God and Christ for their amazing support.

What is your resting heartrate?

50 bpm.

Topics: Athletes, English Channel Swimmers, Fundraisers | Comments Off on Kaise Stephan – Swimmer, English Channel and Cancer Fundraiser (Part 3 of 3)

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