WHEN 16-year-old Lochie Hinds reached Dover after successfully completing the English Channel swim in 2012 he had been in the water for almost 12 and a half hours and the water temperature was just 12C.

Most of us couldn’t even contemplate beginning such a swim and even those who train in the pool on a daily basis don’t understand the sheer challenge of this most difficult open-water swim.

In becoming the youngest Australian male to complete the world’s most prestigious open-water swim, Lochie sagely pointed out: “It’s a mind game, it’s all about beating yourself”.

In passing, he also mentioned that each swim costs about $25,000 to undertake given the support staff required.

This is what awaits 17-year-old Telopea Swim Club member, Ben Freeman, as he prepares for a crossing attempt in August. There is much to contemplate before attempting the 34-kilometre journey.

Much of it has to do with preparing your body for everything the Channel has in store.

Ben is anticipating the water temperature to be around 15C-16C, but as Lochie found out, it has the capacity to be much colder.

The sight of an ageless Des Renford completing many of his 19 successful crossings of the Channel covered in oil and fat to ward off the cold water is indicative enough of the perils of competing in this gruelling open-water swim. With wetsuits banned, it is left to the individual to decide how to best combat the cold.

By his own admission Ben says he will need to put on weight, which isn’t easy in heavy training.

He is also contemplating training in Lake Burley Griffin in the winter; the mere thought of which is difficult to anticipate. There is also the possibility of training in the uncovered Phillip pool.

Hypothermia is a big problem for many Channel swimmers with the sheer cold accounting for the high failure rate. Beyond that, there’s the jellyfish, the tides and the weather to think about. But young has prepared well and has competed in many open-water swims including, most recently, the Hong Kong Clean Half 15-kilometre extreme marathon swim. In this event he won the men’s solo event and his sister, Jemma, took out the women’s title.

The difference between Hong Kong and the English Channel, other than the obvious difference in distance, is that the Channel is a busy shipping lane. This single issue resulted in the French banning swimmers from crossing from Dover to Calais many years ago.

And as Lochie Hinds pointed out, once you have done the training it becomes a mind game. Good luck to Ben. Canberra will be supporting you along the way.

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