Edge member and swimming enthusiast Paul Kendrick recently completed the Great North Swim event, swimming Breast Stroke for 1 mile across open water at Lake Windermere.
The challenge itself is one that is accessible and open to all, with participants ranging from heavily trained athletes to those for whom just completing the course is considered a big achievement. Paul himself actually smashed his target time of 70 minutes by crossing the finish line in 57:29.
As a recreational swimmer, Paul had previously enjoyed the destressing benefits of using a Swimming Pool, with a relaxing sauna session thrown in for good measure on a weekly basis. Then, through friend’s encouragement back in October, he was signed up for the Great North Swim and gradually increased his training to 3 or 4 sessions per week. Motivation was never a problem, as training helped Paul feel positive about himself and his progress gave him a sense of real self-achievement, particularly when he completed the swim itself. Paul also used a number of health and fitness apps as well as logging his swims and comparing activity levels with friends to help keep himself active.
Paul’s enthusiasm is clear to see when it comes to swimming and he is now aiming to complete another two 1 mile swims in open water, before pushing on to a 2 mile swim next year, which we wish him the very best of luck with.
This is a great example of how getting involved in health and fitness can make you feel good about yourself, as well as showing what is possible when you push yourself to try new things, both inside and outside of The Edge.
We always appreciate the opportunity to celebrate our members’ personal achievements and hope to hear more success stories in the future! If any member would like to share their achievements with us then we are always looking to hear them, and you can contact us via Facebook, Twitter or email at edgemembershipservices@leeds.ac.uk!
Savannah Van Der Niet
