Godmanchester woman completes solo Channel swim using arms alone

A woman who finds the touch of water painful has completed a solo English Channel swim powered only by her arms.

Sophie Etheridge, 31, took up the challenge to raise the profile of a Swimming Teachers Association campaign for swimmers with disabilities.

She has had fibromyalgia and complex regional pain syndrome since 2011.

Ms Etheridge, from Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire, completed the challenge at 05:26 BST after more than 29 hours of swimming, her support team said.

It is believed to be the longest duration for a Channel swim on record, subject to official ratification.

"Sophie worked so hard and this was the icing on the cake, plus a little bit more," said Ms Etheridge's swimming coach Loretta Cox.

"To watch someone go through all of that... it was just incredible, really incredible.

"What has got her through this particular swim is her mindset."

Ms Etheridge completed the 30-mile (48km) challenge in a time of 29 hours and four minutes.

She has been a competitive swimmer since childhood and enjoyed triathlons until she was hit by a car in 2011.

This left her in permanent pain and limited mobility, and being largely dependent on a wheelchair.

She was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a long-term condition that causes pain all over the body, and complex regional pain syndrome, "a poorly understood condition where a person experiences persistent, severe and debilitating pain".

Speaking prior to her cross-Channel challenge, she said "the big one is controlling and managing my pain while I'm swimming".

"Being in the water hurts, being thrown around by the waves hurts even more. You have huge ferries and tankers going past you and I have been learning how to swim controlling that level of pain - it's as much mental as physical," she said.

Ms Etheridge used her solo Channel swim to fundraise to offer free training for teachers to be disabled swimming specialists, and for teachers with disabilities to get into open water coaching.

Follow East of England news on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Got a story? Email [email protected] or WhatsApp 0800 169 1830