Colin France joined an elite group of swimmers when he completed his 4th Channel swim last August.

Barrow has more than its fair share of impressive swimmers, but Colin braving the channel crossing achievements in the pool. Colin France took a different approach and took to the open seas instead. On 14th August 2024, he completed his fourth Channel swim in 11 hours and 47 minutes, becoming one of only 50 swimmers to have completed the crossing four or more times. Crossing the Channel involves a non-stop swim from Dover to the Northern French coast across one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. The final landing point depends on the weather and tides.

You might wonder what possesses someone to swim to France not just once, but four times. Colin says, “I’ve always been a keen swimmer but was never fast enough to compete in the pool. I fell in love with open water swimming as an alternative to the pool.”

Colin’s love for the sea started in childhood when he lived in Weymouth until his teens. He rediscovered his love for open-water swimming in the early 2000s through Leicester Masters Swimming Club and Leicester Triathlon Club, which runs open-water swimming sessions in King Lear Lake at Watermead Park. His mum, Glenys, was his swimming inspiration, as she was a competitive swimmer at national Masters level into her 70s until her death in 2016.

Colin competed in various lake, river, and sea swims around the country and then decided the time had come to start some serious Channel training. He took part in a Channel relay in a team of six people before completing his frst solo swim in 2018. The tides were against him, and he thought he could do a better time, so he went again in 2020, by which point the Channel swimming bug had well and truly bitten.

Channel swimming involves swimming with a support boat operated by a qualified pilot and an observer to ensure every swimmer follows the rules. You aren’t allowed to wear a wetsuit or touch the boat at any time. Swimmers book a week-long slot and can be called to swim at any time, depending on the weather. Colin also had to organise a crew to stay on the boat and feed him at intervals throughout the swim. Favourite feeds include tinned peaches, mini rolls and cups of tea. The question he’s asked most often is whether he needs to take his passport. He does, but it stays on the boat rather than being tucked into swimming trunks!

For anyone wondering what Channel training involves, the answer is lots and lots of swimming. Colin trains most lunchtimes at Loughborough University and is a familiar face in the lakes at Swim Six Hills and Race Hub near Asfordby, where friends cheer him. Training swims can be up to six hours, which helps train your mind for long stretches of solo swimming. Sadly, there’s no way to prepare for the jellyfish stings.

He wouldn’t be able to spend time training without a supportive family, including his wife Kirsty (that’s me, by the way!). His son Dylan has joined him for a few laps around the lake at Race Hub, although Dylan’s little brother Jimmy prefers the pool.

If any budding Channel swimmers would like to learn more about training, Colin’s happy to answer questions if you spot him in the village or on the side of a lake. He’s also available for talks with a donation to Rainbows.

Kirsty France