British marathon swimmer sets new record for swimming around Manhattan - despite suffering illness

British marathon swimmer has acceptable a caller grounds for swimming astir Manhattan Island successful New York contempt suffering illness.

A British marathon swimmer has acceptable a caller grounds for swimming astir Manhattan Island successful New York contempt suffering illness.

Andy Donaldson completed the 45.9 km circumnavigation successful 5 hours, 41 minutes, and 48 seconds. The 33-year-old bushed the erstwhile record, acceptable by Oliver Wilkinson successful 2011, by 2 minutes.

Donaldson, who grew up successful West Kilbride, North Ayrshire, started the situation astatine 2am section time, swimming passim the nighttime past celebrated landmarks. Navigating currents arsenic beardown arsenic 4 knots, helium relied connected the enactment of an experienced team, including skipper Sean Makofsky, New York Open Water (NYOW) president Rondi Davies, kayaker Alex Arevalo and handlers Jay Prchal and Pete Bird.

He said their precision was integral to his occurrence arsenic helium reached a maximum velocity of 12kph. Donaldson said: "This was 1 of my toughest challenges yet, some physically and mentally. With the 3 rivers' tides impacting the swim, we had to clip everything perfectly for a changeable astatine the record.

"I've been struggling with unwellness starring up to the event, truthful it was truly pugnacious retired there." Donaldson relocated to prosecute swimming professionally successful 2013 and has since stacked up different 3 records.

Last year, helium became the fastest idiosyncratic to aquatics crossed the Cook Strait, which separates New Zealand's North and South islands, successful 4 hours, 33 minutes and 50 seconds. He besides gained 2 records for the Ocean's Seven swimming challenge, which consists of 7 open-water transmission swims astir the world, including the North Channel, the English Channel, and the Strait of Gibraltar.

He bushed the situation successful the shortest clip span, managing each 7 straits successful 355 days betwixt August 7, 2022, and July 27, 2023. He besides has the grounds for the shortest cumulative aquatics clip astatine 63 hours, 2 minutes and 9 seconds.

Additionally, the Brit besides holds the British grounds for swimming crossed the English Channel. With his caller record, helium said helium plans to propulsion the limits of swimming adjacent further and rise consciousness of issues helium cares about, specified arsenic water wellness and younker intelligence health.

He added: "I'm hugely grateful for my squad and supporters - without them, this wouldn't person been possible."