Congratulations to James Norton on his successful completion of a solo swim of Lake Windermere. James took part in the race across the lake organised by the British Long Distance Swimming Association (BLDSA, a marathon acronym?) on Sunday, finishing in five hours and 42 minutes. James secured 11th place out of 21 swimmers who finished under English Channel Rules wearing hat goggles and trunks and no wetsuit. A steady pace and a knowledgable local pilot were key to James' success.
Less visible, but just as inspiring for James were visualisations of his Serpentine SC friends singing a little bit out of key. Images of Gordon Brodie's voice of a nightingale -apologies to all Berkeley square birds and bluebirds- warmly warbling of successful past swimmers inspired James to a fine swim.
The water was a warm 16C, and it took James an hour to settle into the swimming groove. His first cocktail of Maxim, shaken and stirred, gave James the boost he needed. Thoughts of sore shoulders and fear of letting people down were dissolved. Positive encouragement came from the delightful Thomas Noblett and thoughts of friends at Serps.
Congratulations once again to James from your friends at Serps SC for a fine solo swim across Lake Windermere.