Swimming for 24 hours 'about proving resilience'

Martin Malone will take on the challenge on Saturday

Swimming continuously for 24 hours is a "huge challenge" which is about "proving resilience in each and every one of us", said Martin Malone, who hopes to achieve the feat.

He aims to cover about 50km (31 miles) in what is being dubbed the Big Swim which starts at 09:00 BST on Saturday.

The swim will see him complete laps of St Andrew's lake in Kent, stopping each hour at a pontoon to take on a total of 12,000 calories in food, energy drinks, and powders, but remaining in the water.

A crew, including a lifeguard, will be on a boat in the lake to ensure Mr Malone is safe during the day, and a team will be kayaking alongside the swimmer during the night so he does not get disorientated.

Mr Malone hopes to raise £25,000 for local charities, the Children's Centre and Rebecca House, from the challenge.

He said both charities provided "essential care to children and families in our community" and he wanted to "support young people on the Isle of Man".

'Psychological challenge'

Twenty years ago Mr Malone swam the North Channel, a 35km (22 mile) stretch between Northern Ireland and Scotland.

It was back then he decided he wanted to attempt to swim 24 hours, but found "life gets in the way" so it is only now he is making the bid.

In recent years, he has swum all the bays of the Isle of Man as part of his fundraising efforts.

"The resilience I get from doing these things crosses over into my personal life, the washing machine breaks down and I think I just swam for 24 hours," he said.

Having trained for 12 months, covering about 100 km (62 miles) each month, Mr Malone said: "I am really excited about finishing it, because from a psychological perspective it is a huge challenge."