Endurance athlete Ross Edgley has announced he has completed a record-breaking continuous river swim: completing 510km without stopping, sleeping or touching land for over 62 hours in the freezing waters of the Yukon River in Canada. Edgely began the challenge in Whitehorse on Lake Laberge on Sunday 16th June, and finished in Dawson City on 19th June.
Throughout the challenge, Edgely overcame sleep deprivation to water temperatures of 9°c in the name of sports science —setting new parameters on the limits of the human body in the process.
WE DID IT: The World’s Longest NON-STOP River Swim*
— Ross Edgley (@RossEdgley) June 21, 2024
✔️ 510km (317 miles)
✔️ Yukon (Canada)
✔️ No stopping, sleeping or touching land!
✔️ Water temperature 9°C/48.°F
*Pending ratification once governing body has had a chance to look over videos, GPS tracking & witness accounts pic.twitter.com/vM2BPXhBDq
"The success of this swim feels especially significant given it is pioneering research into the body’s ability to overcome sleep deprivation, freezing water and so many more factors. The sheer number of hours, days, months and years we have devoted make the record feel unique and I cannot wait to celebrate with my team," Edgely commented.
Edgley is known for attempting extreme challenges and previously became the first person to swim around Great Britain. This latest record is the culmination over two years of sports science research, taking Ross Edgley and his team from the lab to a multitude of destinations. These include Loch Ness —where he completed a 53-hour swim in water as cold as 5°C— to Lake Trasimeno where he completed a 107km swim during a heatwave when temperatures exceeded 45°C. Ahead of Yukon, Edgley also completed a 140km pool swim in Mallorca.
Added 11kg/24lbs of fat (no muscle) to combat the cold and swim 510km in the Yukon where the lowest temperature was 8°C/46.4°F. Body shape discussed in my NEW documentary, “Shark vs. Ross Edgley” that’s coming to @natgeotv on Sunday, June 30th at 10pm and on @disneyplus July 1 pic.twitter.com/t17J73Xx9D
— Ross Edgley (@RossEdgley) June 24, 2024
Swimming long-distance in the planet’s most remote regions, Edgley accounted not only the mental and physical demands of such a challenge, but also the need to manage external factors such as bears, wolves, white water rapids, log jams and even forest fires.