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Ross Edgley set to complete 2,000-mile Great British Swim

Record-breaker Ross Edgley is due to complete his epic swim around the coast of Great Britain this weekend.

Five months after setting off on the 2,000-mile swim, he is due to arrive at Margate Harbour at around 9am on Sunday 4 November.

To mark the occasion, more than 300 people will swim the final mile alongside Ross before he steps onto the beach and dry land for the first time in 157 days.

Ross, 33, of Grantham, Lincolnshire, has had to endure Storm Ali and Storm Callum, hundreds of jellyfish stings and a disintegrating tongue caused by salt water during his Great British Swim.

But with the finishing line now in sight, Ross said he will have mixed feelings.

Weird feeling

“It’s a really weird feeling as it’s all I’ve known now for the past five months,” he said. “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 now, to be talking about the finish, is pretty surreal.”

Ross has been undertaking daily exercises to ensure his land legs are back in time for the beach.

And he is looking forward to being reunited with family and friends – and everyone who has supported him.

Ross Edgley chalks off another day during his Great British Swim

“There are so many things [to look forward to] but obviously the chance to be back with my friends and family is top of the list,” he said.

“And, secondly, it’s you guys! Everyone who has supported me on social media, to those who have come out and seen me swim and wished me luck – you’ve no idea how much the support you’ve given means to me and I can’t wait to see you all at the finish line. The final swim-in should be amazing.

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“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.”

Records shattered

Ross has broken a number of records since the Great British Swim began.

In mid-August, he broke the world record for the Longest Stage Sea Swim of 73 days set by Benoît Lecomte, who swam across the Atlantic Ocean in 1998.

Then, in September, he became the first ever Brit to swim from Lands’ End to John O’Groats – a distance of 900 miles – in only 62 days.

When he lands back on Margate beach, he’ll officially become the first person in history to have swam around the entire coastline of mainland Great Britain.

Pictures: Red Bull Media

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