Spirit of Great Britain: A New British English Channel Relay Record

The Challenge

The Spirit of Great Britain team brought together six swimmers with an impressive mix of Olympic, national and open water experience: triple Olympic gold medallist Tom Dean MBE, double British Olympian and Commonwealth Games medallist Dan Jervis, British Open Water Olympian and English 1500m record holder Tobias Robinson, Lake Windermere World Record Holder George Taplin, British Champion Josh Gammon and double British Open Water Olympian Hector Pardoe. 

 Red ambassadors Hector Pardoe and George Taplin represented Red as part of the team. Red ambassador Andy Donaldson was also part of the wider team. Originally selected to swim, Andy was unfortunately unable to take part due to illness, but he remained involved as a supporter and mentor throughout the challenge. 

The aim was ambitious: to beat the existing English Channel relay world record of 6 hours 52 minutes, held by the US National Swim Team for 36 years.  

Starting from Shakespeare Beach near Dover, Hector Pardoe swam the opening leg as the team took on over 38,000 metres of cold Channel water, with temperatures around 18° and challenging tidal conditions throughout. 

The relay saw each swimmer take their turn in the water before Hector returned for the final stage towards the French coast. With France in sight, the team faced a particularly tough finish, with Hector battling an incoming tide and jellyfish as he made the approach to Cap Gris Nez. 

A New British Record

After hours of swimming, the team reached France in an incredible 6 hours and 55 minutes. 

While the world record remained just three minutes out of reach, the team had achieved something remarkable: a new British English Channel relay record, beating the previous British mark by 22 minutes 

For a team that had set out to push the limits of British relay swimming, the result was an extraordinary achievement – particularly given the challenging conditions during the final stages of the crossing. 

And with the challenge helping to raise awareness and funds for RLSS UK, the impact of the swim extends far beyond the record books.

Making Waves Beyond the Record

The challenge was raising funds for RLSS UK’s water safety education programmes for children, helping give more young people the skills and knowledge they need to stay safe in and around water.

Every donation helps RLSS UK deliver essential water safety education, support volunteers and equip more people with the knowledge and confidence to enjoy the water safely.

If you’d like to support the cause, you can donate directly to the Back the Swim, Break the Record, Save Lives campaign.

Backing the Spirit of Great Britain Team

At Red Equipment, we’re passionate about helping people make the most of life by the water – whether that means heading out for an everyday swim, taking on an ambitious endurance challenge or simply enjoying time outdoors with friends and family. 

That’s why we were proud to support the Spirit of Great Britain team with Red kit and support throughout their challenge. 

The team’s determination, resilience and connection to open water reflects so much of what we love about the water ourselves. It was particularly special to see our ambassadors George Taplin and Hector Pardoe representing Red on such an iconic stage. We were also proud to continue supporting Andy Donaldson throughout the challenge, despite his illness preventing him from taking part in the swim. 

Just as importantly, the challenge helped shine a light on RLSS UK’s work to improve water safety and give more people the skills and knowledge they need to enjoy the water safely.