SwimOut

Vicki delves into History in this edition and also finds swimmers who are making history today. She meets Sarah Thomas who made history most notably with her 4-way English Channel crossing. Anna Maria Mullally shines a light on Irish swimmers at the turn of the last century. Todd Balf, whose book Three Kings explores the lives of 3 unlikely Olympic heroes, tells us the stories he has uncovered. George Townsend looks at the history of river bathing in Oxford. Vicki and Kathryn Ferry discuss how Billy Butlin got involved in Channel relay races in the 1950’s. We also find out about a historic reservoir featured in the film Wild Water and meet Wen Erh Hsu, the first Taiwanese swimmer to cross the English Channel. There’s heaps of historic action! Find out more: ⁠@swimoutpodcast ⁠or ⁠swimout.net @sarahswims04 @seasideferry @time_for_a_bath @alphacarla  @wen_swim_the_channel @wildwaterfilm @jojodaleo ⁠

In this edition of the SwimOut podcast we explore the joys of swimming in a Relay team. Join Mikey and Vicki as they talk about Relay swimming and the fun of it. Observer Deborah Vine answers listeners’ questions about the big day and the rules of the swim and Team Bits Missing discuss their North Channel relay swim. Plus we hear from Catherine Stefanutti, Dirk Gewert and more listeners about the joys of Relay swimming. For more information and longer versions please go to SwimOut.net

Our latest offering is a very special edition of SwimOut all about Peace. We welcome new presenter Jonathan Cowie from Outdoor Swimmer magazine spreading his podcasting wings for the first time. We are joined by the legendary swimmer and writer Lynne Cox. She first rose to fame when she broke the English Channel record aged 15, and went on to break many more. Her mission to broker peace between Russia and the USA by swimming the Bering Strait in 1987 remains a groundbreaking achievement. Still actively engaged with swimming she has just published a book about swimming with dogs as well as setting up a swim in April to help the people of Ukraine. We also discuss Ukraine and peace with the ever passionate Jackie Cobell who is raising money to help Ukrainians. And Vicki and Jonathan share their favourite swim spots.

Hunter and Vicki delve into The Mind. The mind can be your best friend and your worst enemy on a long swim. It can soothe and wash away your troubles; it can also disrupt and ruin your flow. In this episode we meet Cliff Golding; after 5 years and 6 failed attempts Cliff finally tamed his demons and successfully crossed the English Channel - he tells us his secret. Sarah Kennedy Norquoy lives in the Orkney isles and tells us how swimming helped her recover from grief and we catch up with Mental Health Swims about raising mental health awareness. Last but not least, we speak to two Paralympian's about their mental health journeys in the lead-up to Tokyo.

Vicki and Mikey explore Journeys. We hear from Cath Pendleton, who holds the Guinness World Record for the Most Southerly Ice Swim (female) in Antarctica, but she also likes Mermaiding and chitty chatting.  Mikey leaps out of his sound booth to present this week and speaks to Sal Minty-Gravett, the oldest woman to do a 2-way English Channel swim. John Coningham-Rolls from SwimQuest tells us all about his passion for empowering people to start their swimming journey and stop punching below their weight. We all did a Pier to Pier swim and Hunter pops in to tell his story. Finally Vicki wants to follow her father down the River Avon on a very special Journey.

Vicki and Fiona - our guest presenter - explore The Environment. We hear from Owen Hayman, a man who loves swimming in Reservoirs, on his mission to open up more water for us all to swim in whilst being kind to the environment. We catch up again with Calum McLean in the highlands of Scotland who finds awe in this magnificent scenery and is desperate to preserve it. We also bring you reports about the health of the sea from Papua New Guinea, a re-wilding project from East London and a Channel swimmer with a passion for collecting litter. Plus loads of ideas for great environmental projects to follow. BREAKING NEWS We are finalists in the British Podcast Awards Vote for us to also win the listener's choice award here  More info and longer versions of interviews at SwimOut.net We also love Likes and ratings on your podcast provider. Catch us on Facebook and Instagram too.

SwimOut is back! Vicki and Hunter are back for a second series exploring 'Uncertainty'. We hear from Jaimie Monahan doyenne of Ice swimming, about how she coped and what kept her occupied whilst stuck on Manhattan in 2020. We catch up with Steve and Norma talking about their fabulous entertaining Webinars which educated us on the technicalities of sea swimming. We also have Emma France from Dover Channel Training about how to cope with the uncertainty that IS the English Channel challenge. More info at SwimOut.net  contact us here. We also love Likes and ratings on your podcast provider. Catch us on Facebook and Instagram too.

ICE is the topic Vicki and Hunter explore, in this, the final episode of Series 1.  We hear from Jaimie Monaghan doyenne of Ice swimming, Ram Barkai who set up International Ice Swimming Association and Rostislav Vitek the fastest ice miler. We also meet Attila Manyoki, the fastest man to complete the Oceans Seven challenge who was hospitalised after a North Channel swim with hypothermia. Helen Smith helps Vicki prepare for an Ice mile swim next year and we hear from our listeners around the world about why they love ice swimming. It's ICEY !! Other material and episodes available at our website SwimOut  

This month Vicki and Hunter are joined by Chas Hamilton with a story about a charity which helps prevent drowning in Cambodia, which is the leading cause of childhood death in that country.  An RNLI beach lifeguard shares some tips on how to stay safe on the beach and answers some questions about what to do if you get into trouble. We also tell the amazing story of Guðlaugur Friðþórsson an Icelandic fisherman who survived after his trawler capsizes, with extracts taken from the book "Why I Swim" by Bonnie Tsui. Plus Mikey Tees shares the story of a very special relay swim across the English Channel.   

Introducing Episode 1 of the SwimOut Podcast with Hunter and Vicki! In our debut episode we spoke to SARAH THOMAS whose 4-way crossing in 2019 amazed us all, as well as the veteran English Channel coach FREDA STREETER who's not only trained hundreds of Channel swimmers but is of course mother to Alison Streeter - Queen of the Channel.

Vicki tells the story of how she swam around Manhattan Island. She talks about how she prepared, including talking to Jaimie Monahan - who has swum around it more times than anyone else. She heads down to Brighton Beach to swim with CIBBOWS the Coney Island and Brighton Beach Open Water Swimmers. Through recordings from the day made by Oonagh Gormley, her crew and wife, and her own memories from the swim, a rich aural story is woven. From the event organisers New York Open Water we meet the kayaker, observer and boat captain. Plus we hear from family and friends at home following the unfolding story via the gps tracker and WhatsApp.  Find out more: ⁠@swimoutpodcast ⁠or ⁠swimout.net⁠ @Jaimie Monahan @CIBBOWS @New York Open Water @wildswimmingsocks @wen_swim_the_channel @20 Bridges #swimming #openwaterswimming #doverchannelswimming

Mikey and Vicki discuss Pride and open water swimming. Olympian, Peter Prijdekker, shares how he has swum with Pride throughout his life. Vicki has a chat with team-mates from Out To Swim, her LGBTQ+ swimming club. Kerry Andrew reads from their haunting book Skin about a non-binary swimmer looking for their father. Then we find out about swimming with Pride around the country starting with Brighton where we discuss a new idea.  We move to Kendal, where Jonathan Cowie explores how Pride is celebrated in the Lakes. Finally, Vicki goes to the Royal London Docks for the first in a new series of Pride Swims rolling out across the country. Find out more: ⁠@swimoutpodcast ⁠or ⁠swimout.net

The topic of this episode is grief and how the open water can help to soothe you at this time of crisis and turmoil. Vicki starts by chatting with Shannon House Keegan from Marathon Swim Stories about their stillborn sons. Then Dr Catherine Kelly shares with us the turmoil she felt after her mother died and talks about her book Blue Spaces that explains why and how water can help with grief. Kate Steels joins Vicki to talk about the son she lost to suicide and how swimming the Ice Sevens Challenge helped her to recover. Lastly Vicki talks to Cat Joy White about her beautiful film 54 Days and how taking up open water swimming was a major solace to her after the death of two people she loved. Find out more ⁠@swimoutpodcast ⁠or ⁠swimout.net⁠ @catherinejoywhite  @fiftyfourdaysfilm @international_ice_swimming_association @bluespaces_uk  @intrepidwater

Mikey and Vicki discuss the wonderful world of swimming communities. They chat with Rachel Jones who edited Toes in the Water - stories of lives changed by wild swimming. Vicki goes to Mamma Swim and finds out all about their group for mothers who want to swim in the open water. Mikey talks to fellow swimmers at Brighton Swimming Club- the oldest swimming club in England. Bill and Jeff share with us about their project iSwim4 which is for people recovering from substance addiction and Vicki finds out about a film called Rave On For The Avon and its maker Aggie Nyagari and star Meg who decided to become Mrs Avon. Find out more @swimoutpodcast or swimout.net

Amy Ennion and Vicki explore training for the big swim. They discuss their approaches to training and talk to Shannon House Keegan who works with people remotely. Vicki goes to meet Ray Gibbs who films you in his tank Swim Canary Wharf. Amy discusses training camps with Anna McCarthy, a regular at the infamous Irish swim camps and Mandy Bodemeaid from Dover Channel Training tells us all about their training weekends. Plus we hear from Mark Sheridan about a pool based group which provides support and inspiration and Jonathan Cowie tells us about his struggles with his sofa.

This season has seen a bumper crop of swimming records, so Vicki and Amy have sought out the record-breakers. We have Andy Donaldson who swam all seven of the Seven Oceans in just one year and Sophie Etheridge chats with Jackie Cobell having taken her Longest English Channel Swim mantle away. Jasmine Harrison, who has two Guinness world records, talks about her adventures. We grab a chat with Anshuman Jhingran, the "Little Boy from Mumbai", who snapped up two records in his first year of marathon swimming and we join it all up with Julian Critchlow who gathers in all the English Channel facts and is himself a record holder. It's going to be a smashing episode.

Mikey and Vicki bring you a cornucopia of tales about Mercedes Gleitze, the first British woman to swim the English Channel. With a dramatized section and interviews with her grandson Andrew Pember and bathing historian Anna Maria Mullally the program celebrates this iconic swimmer. We also find out all about the “Swimming a Long Way Together” project, a tribute to Mercedes created by Vanessa Daws. We bring Mercedes' story to life and delve deeper into who she was and the legacy she has left.

In this edition of the SwimOut podcast we explore how swimming can boost our wellbeing and soothe our worries. Join Mikey and Vicki with special guest Amy – AmySwims as they talk about the challenges they have with how they look. We speak to Gill – Stoma Chameleon about her Channel crossing and Jamie from Blue Mind Men, a mental health swim for men. We find some great swimsuits which bring us joy, made by Usual Objections  and for the more environmental feel-good factor we talk with Angela from Swim Wild Wye who campaigns to keep her river pollution free.

In this episode Vicki meets Chloe McCardel who is the Queen of the Channel - she has swum the English Channel forty four times which is more times than any other person. Also she holds the record for the longest ever sea swim at 124.4 kilometers, taking 41 hours in the Bahamas. She is swimming royalty but also a passionate supporter of Women's rights, always ready to call out injustice.   Vicki spends a day with Chloe in Weymouth finding out about her swimming, her past and what she is up to in Dorset this summer with her new boat Channel Queen.

In this edition of the SwimOut podcast we explore the challenge of swimming in cold water. Join Vicki and Jonathan as they talk about thier swimming exploits in Morocco and Cheltenham. Vicki talks to Ger Kennedy about swimming in Antarctica and how it feels to be in water that cold and how to recover. Plus Jonty Warneken and Michelle Lane talk about competing in Team Ice GB.