For Martin Murray, an international pentathlete, January is normally off-season, when he uses his time away from training to take long walks with Digby, his cocker spaniel. But on New Year’s Day, he heard the shouts of a swimmer in trouble off the Cornish coast and was straight back in the water.
While on an early morning dog walk along Pendower beach, Murray, 54, who competes abroad with Team GB and who won team gold in the 2019 European championships, noticed an isolated swimmer being “tossed around” in treacherous sea conditions.
“As I walked nearer, I could see her waving and [hear her] shouting,” he said. “She realised she was in big trouble and that she couldn’t get back to shore. The strong backwash meant she couldn’t make progress, big waves were breaking over her head.”
Without a phone, Murray, a dental implantologist who lives nearby, ran to a passer-by and asked them to phone the coastguard. He went back and began shouting instructions. “I told her to get on her back and swim sidewards out of this strong current . . . she was being overwhelmed by the waves and taking longer to resurface . . . I just thought I’ve got to go in now.” In the five-sport modern pentathlon, on top of fencing, show-jumping, shooting and running, competitors swim a 200m freestyle burst. Murray also competes in international triathlon, which involves sets of fast-paced swims. This training helped him cover the 10m sea-swim, scooping up the “semi-conscious” woman and dragging her back to shore.
He said: “I jumped in fully clothed. I was heavily wrapped up. It took her a few minutes to get her breath back and get over the shock.”
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In the aftermath, he did not get a chance to speak to the woman: “She was taken away by the coastguard to get her home back to her family.”
Murray did not bask in his glory. “I was soaking wet so just went home.
“Luckily I remembered to find the dog after all that drama. He thought it was just a great game.”
