Strongman Ross Edgley swims into shore after 157 days and 2,000 miles at sea

* The 33-year-old set out on June 1 from the Kent coastal town in his bid to become the first person to swim around mainland Great Britain.

* The Lincolnshire native from Grantham battled through a disintegrating tongue and jellyfish stings, along with Storm Ali and Callum, on his journey.

* Incredibly, Edgley did not take a day off through sickness or injury with the only stoppages on his journey enforced by extreme winds and waves.

* Three hundred swimmers from the Outdoor Swimming Society joined him for the swim into shore where a huge crowd waited to celebrate his 2,000 miles and 157 days at sea with Ross not stepping foot on land once as the Red Bull Matadors put on an amazing air show above.

* He revealed: "It feels a bit weird on land, a bit too solid for my liking! I almost fell over when I started to jog into shore. Setting out, I knew the Great British Swim would be the hardest thing I've ever attempted. I was very naïve at the start, and there were moments where I really did begin to question myself. My feelings now are pride, tiredness and relief. It's been a team effort and it's thanks to the whole crew, the support I've received from the public and Red Bull that I've been able to complete it. To see so many smiling faces here today is amazing, and if I can take one thing away, it's that I’ve inspired people, no matter how small that inspiration may be."

Great British Swim

• 0 sick days
• 2,000 miles swam (equivalent of swimming The Channel 100 times and 64,373 lengths of an Olympic sized swimming pool)
• London to Moscow is 1,796 miles
• 23 weeks at sea
• 18.1 nautical miles – longest swim in a single tide
• 8.7 knots – top swim speed
• 1,884,000 calories consumed (equivalent of 3,346 Big Macs)
• 314 Red Bulls drank
• Wild life spots – 1 Minke Whale, 1 Basking Shark, a pod of dolphins, 30 seals, a colony of puffins, 6 sea otters and 2 eagles
• Five rolls of gaffer tape used to fix broken skin
• Three kilograms of Vaseline for chaffing
• 37 jellyfish stings
• One freshly grown beard to try prevent more jellyfish stings

Ross Edgley will complete his epic Great British Swim on Sunday November 4 in Margate, the Kent coastal town where he began his record breaking quest back on June 1. Here is all you need to know:

The British strongman will become the first person to swim around mainland Great Britain in an astonishing 157 days and without stepping foot on land once.

To celebrate his feat, more than 300 swimmers will join Ross for the final one-mile swim into shore in partnership with the Outdoor Swimming Society.

Edgley has overcome several obstacles including a disintegrating tongue and jellyfish stings as well as storms Ali and Callum, while he has been doing exercises to ensure his land legs are prepared too.

The 33-year-old has already created new milestones including the Longest Assisted Contiguous Stage Sea Swim in history by powering past 73 days and becoming the first ever Briton to swim the 900-mile journey from Land's End to John O'Groats in a record 62 days.

The Lincolnshire native revealed: "It's about finding normality in the abnormal. This isn’t a traditional sporting event. With a marathon, you can grit your teeth knowing you can get through it and you’ll be in your bed with a bubble bath at the end of it. I can’t do that! I’m constantly in the cold water or in my bed which is rocking side to side in the waves – but as long as you make peace with that fact, the Great British Swim becomes possible."

INTERVIEW
Ross Edgley ahead of the finish

How do you feel knowing the Great British Swim is coming to an end?

It's a really weird feeling as it's all I've known now for the past five months. On the one hand it's almost pure relief, but on the other, there's a real sense of sadness because I've grown so close to the crew and the experiences I've had will stay with me forever. I always say how naïve I was at the start of this whole thing and there was always a sense of, 'Can it really be done?', so to now be talking about the finish is pretty surreal.

What are you most looking forward to about the finish?

There are so many things, but obviously the chance to be back with my friends and family is top of the list. I guess secondly, it's you guys! Everyone who has supported me on social media, to those who have come out to see me swim and wish me luck – you have no idea how much the support you’ve given means to me and I can’t wait to see all you at the finish line. Obviously the final swim to shore should be absolutely amazing.

How is your body coping after five months at sea?

I get asked this a lot and it probably sounds weird, but I just love getting out there and swimming. There's a task at hand, but you've got to enjoy what you're doing first and foremost. Yes, there's aches, pains and salt tongue to contend with, but it's all about going beyond those perceived mental and physical limits. So a bit painful, yes, but it sort of pales into insignificance when I think about the finish in Margate..

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