Wicklow swimmer Sarah Mortimer crosses English Channel in just 13 hours

An amazing achievement.

Wicklow swimmer Sarah Mortimer has successfully crossed the English Channel in just 13 hours. On Wednesday night Mortimer, from Enniskerry Co. Wicklow, swam from Dover, England to Cap Gris Nez, France, in 13 hours and 35 minutes. Mortimer's achievement is even more impressive considering she's not a competitive swimmer. She began training for the swim in 2018, making her first attempt in July. She stopped after 25km the first time, and this week went on to complete the full 34km. Around 300 people attempt to swim the English Channel every year with only one in five swimmers succeeding in completing the journey. What's more inspirational is that she's doing it all for charity. Mortimer said that she wanted to raise money for Ethiopian sight saving charity Orbis. The organisation has been raising money for treatments for blindness and sight loss conditions since 2007.

Mortimer told the Irish Times: “In 2015, when I stepped onto the flight to Addis Ababa to take part in the Great Ethiopian Run for Orbis, I had no idea the impact this charity would have on me.

“Having seen the incredible work on the ground in Ethiopia, I realised I needed to do more to support. And here I am, ready to take on my biggest challenge yet - none of which would have been possible without amazing friends and family. I am humbled by the support for both me and Orbis.”

But the Channel swim isn't the only sporting task that Mortimer has set herself in recent years. Since 2015, she has also completed a 10k run while blindfolded and half an ironman challenge. Fair play, Sarah.