University lecturer smashes fastest Lake District swimming record

The ultra-endurance enthusiast said the challenge made him feel "alive"

A university lecturer has set a new record for swimming the length of every publicly accessible lake in the Lake District in the fastest time.

Dr Danny Longman, from Loughborough University, took on the challenge to swim the 13 lakes in under 59 hours.

The 34-year-old started in Wastwater at 05:10 BST on Monday and finished in Derwent Water at 22:17 on Tuesday.

His swim had seen him cover a total distance of about 44 miles (71km) in 41 hours and seven minutes.

Dr Longman - a biologist at the Leicestershire university - first set the record for the fastest time two years ago.

He cycled between the lakes and had his record beaten last year by George Taplin, who used a car instead.

This time he adopted the same approach and was able to finish the swim in the fastest time ever.

The challenge took place among stunning scenery

To set the record Dr Longman had to swim Ullswater, Brothers Water, Elterwater, Rydal Water, Grasmere, Derwent Water, Bassenthwaite Lake, Buttermere, Crummock Water, Loweswater, Wastwater, Coniston and Windermere.

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He said the challenge was all going "perfectly according to plan" at the start and the first day "flew by".

As they were comfortably ahead of schedule he decided to have a 60-minute nap before taking on his sixth lake - but this turned out to be a big mistake.

"I woke up feeling incredibly nauseous from the smell of damp wetsuits behind me," he said.

"I then had to swim almost five hours along the length of Ullswater trying not to be sick the whole time."

Dr Longman said he felt "incredibly nauseous" after a 60-minute nap during the challenge

Dr Longman only started swimming seriously six months before setting the first record in 2019.

The ultra-endurance enthusiast, who has also rowed across the Arctic Ocean, said: "I always find with events like this, with ultra-endurance events, that's when I feel most alive - especially in nature.

"When we had this opportunity to do it, especially after the last 18 months of not being able to do much, it just seemed like a great idea."

Dr Longman said it was his support team that made everything possible

Dr Longman said it was a "really nice feeling" to finish the challenge but said with ultra-endurance events there was no single moment of euphoria.

"It was more a growing understanding that we were going to finish as we reached lakes 10, 11 ,12, 13.

"I realised we had this in the bag so the feeling of satisfaction grew throughout the last lake," he said.