Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Ross Edgley said he had to swim hard against the tide to reach Margate, but it was amazing to hear the crowd

An adventurer from Grantham has become the first person to swim 1,780-miles around Great Britain.

Ross Edgley, 33, was joined by 300 swimmers for the last mile before he arrived in Margate at about 09:00 GMT.

Edgley left the Kent town on 1 June, and has not set foot on land since, swimming for up to 12 hours a day and eating more than 500 bananas.

He has battled strong tides and currents in cold water, braved storms, jellyfish and swimming in late autumn.

The effort has taken its toll on his body, resulting in shoulder pain, wetsuit chafing and his tongue has partially disintegrated from salt water exposure.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Ross Edgley has spent 155 days making the journey around the coast

Back on dry land, Edgley told the BBC that despite needing to learn to walk again after so long in the water he is still "not quite bored of swimming" and looking for his next challenge.

Supported in his swim by Cornish sailor Matthew Knight from his catamaran Hecate, Edgley revealed that at times the tides helped him to swim at speeds of up to 8.7 knots.

"That's a dolphin's cruising speed," he laughed.

The swimmer held back tears as scores of supporters who had turned out to greet him in Margate gave him a rousing cheer.

He said getting that kind of reception made it all worthwhile, adding: "There's not many places you come in and people are asking you to sign bananas."

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Scores of people turned out for Edgley's arrival in Margate - and many joined him in the water

Edgley set a new record 74 days into his challenge, for the longest staged sea swim, according to the World Open Water Swimming Association.

He is already in the Guinness Book of World Records after completing a rope climb the equivalent height of Mount Everest in 19 hours in April 2016.

That was two months after doing a marathon while pulling a car.

But an attempt in 2017 to swim the 24.8 miles between Martinique and St Lucia while pulling a 100lb tree trunk ended in disappointment.</s>After 5 months, British swimmer Ross Edgley completed a feat never done before. In 157 days, Edgley swam around the mainland of Great Britain, completing his goal on Sunday. Red Bull sponsored the swim, and documented the great feat of strength, posting videos to their YouTube channel along the way.

Ross Edgley began his journey on June 1 in Margate, a southeastern England town on the coast. The swim finished in the same city, only this time Edgley had about 300 other swimmers finishing the journey with him, and cheering him on. “I won’t lie, getting a tad bit emotional now knowing it’s coming to an end,” Said Ross Edgley in a Instagram post on Friday.

Over the last five months, Ross Edgley swam 1,791 miles, and endured many issues along the way. Not only did he deal with rough waters, and ocean wild life, including jelly fish stings, and the occasional shark, but he also dealt with neck chaffing from his wet suit. Still nothing stopped Edgley from completing his goal. Not once did he take a break on land, instead resting on a support boat in between six hours of non-stop swimming.

While on the boat, Ross Edgley would catch up on sleeping and eating. His daily calorie intake was up to 15,000 calories a day. This helped fuel his journey, along with breaks on the boat in order to roll out his tired muscles. Edgley also had to deal with something called “salt mouth,” which is when salt builds up on the tongue, causing the tongue to dry out. Edgley had pieces of his tongue flaking off during the swim, but still pushed through to the end.

In August, Great Britain recognized his swim as the longest staged sea swim, without using flippers, or any other aid, in history. Red Bull was along for the entire ride, keeping track of Edgley’s progress, and posting videos to their YouTube channel. In one of the posted videos, Ross Edgley explains his motivation for the swim saying, “It’s my hope that people remember the Great Britain Swim as an example or experiment in both mental and physical fortitude.”</s>Adventurer Ross Edgley first to swim around Britain

(BBC) — An adventurer from Grantham has become the first person to swim 1,780-miles around Great Britain.

Ross Edgley, 33, was joined by 300 swimmers for the last mile before he arrived in Margate at about 09:00 GMT.

Edgley left the Kent town on 1 June, and has not set foot on land since, swimming for up to 12 hours a day and eating more than 500 bananas.

He has battled strong tides and currents in cold water, braved storms, jellyfish and swimming in late autumn.

The effort has taken its toll on his body, resulting in shoulder pain, wetsuit chafing and his tongue has partially disintegrated from salt water exposure.

Back on dry land, Edgley told the BBC that despite needing to learn to walk again after so long in the water he is still “not quite bored of swimming” and looking for his next challenge.

Supported in his swim by Cornish sailor Matthew Knight from his catamaran Hecate, Edgley revealed that at times the tides helped him to swim at speeds of up to 8.7 knots.

The swimmer held back tears as scores of supporters who had turned out to greet him in Margate gave him a rousing cheer.

He said getting that kind of reception made it all worthwhile, adding: “There’s not many places you come in and people are asking you to sign bananas.”

Edgley set a new record 74 days into his challenge, for the longest staged sea swim, according to the World Open Water Swimming Association.

He is already in the Guinness Book of World Records after completing a rope climb the equivalent height of Mount Everest in 19 hours in April 2016.

That was two months after doing a marathon while pulling a car.

But an attempt in 2017 to swim the 24.8 miles between Martinique and St Lucia while pulling a 100lb tree trunk ended in disappointment.</s>Grantham’s very own strongman Ross Edgley has become the first swimmer to swim around Great Britain after spending 23 weeks at sea.

The 33-year-old from Grantham crossed the finish line off the coast of Margate, Kent - in the same spot he set off from five months ago - just before 9am this morning, after swimming 1,792 miles - the equivalent of swimming The Channel 85 times.

He was joined by 300 swimmers including Dale Nix and Paul Letchworth from Grantham, for his final mile.

Ross left Margate on June 1 and has not set foot on land since.

He has battled against strong tides, storms and endured 37 jellyfish stings, eventually growing a beard to prevent more stings. He has also eaten more than 600 bananas and used three kilograms of Vaseline for chaffing.

Not content with just breaking one record, Ross entered the Guinness Book of World Records on August 14 when he became the first British person to swim the length of Great Britain, completing the 900 mile distance from Lands’ End to John O’Groats in a record time of 62 days.

Despite swimming for up to 12 hours a day, Ross was happy to speak to the Journal from his boat in September.

He said: “The support from the Grantham contingent has been phenomenal. When you look at where everyone is watching from on social media, there is people from all over the world, but Grantham is always there."

We will have more details including an interview with the man himself over the next few days and in Friday's Grantham Journal.</s>An adventurer from Grantham has become the first person to swim 1,780-miles around Great Britain.

Ross Edgley, 33, was joined by 300 swimmers for the last mile before he arrived in Margate at about 09:00 GMT.

Edgley left the Kent town on 1 June, and has not set foot on land since, swimming for up to 12 hours a day and eating more than 500 bananas.

He has battled strong tides and currents in cold water, braved storms, jellyfish and swimming in late autumn.</s>LONDON — A 33-year-old British endurance athlete stepped ashore on an English beach Sunday, becoming the first person to swim around the coast of Great Britain.

Ross Edgley spent 157 days in the water and covered 1,791 miles (2,883 kilometers). He swam in six-hour stints, sleeping in his support boat.

He was joined for the final mile by hundreds of fellow swimmers, coming ashore at Margate in southeast England — the spot where he began his journey on June 1.

Edgley, who had hoped to finish in 100 days, told family members who gathered on the beach to greet him: “Sorry I’m late.”

He said his main feeling on walking up the beach was “relief. I was really worried that my legs would give way.”

The World Open Water Swimming Association says Edgley endured spells of wild weather and was stung by jellyfish 37 times during his swim, which was sponsored by the energy drink Red Bull.

Organizers said Edgley also broke records for the longest staged sea swim – doubling the previous 73 days – and for the fastest swim between Britain’s southernmost and northernmost points, Land’s End and John O’Groats.

He covered the distance in 62 days.</s>Adventurer Ross Edgley is poised to become the first swimmer to complete a circumnavigation of Great Britain. The 33-year-old, from Grantham, Lincolnshire, will be joined for the final mile of his 1,780-mile, 155-day Great British Swim around the mainland by 300 swimmers in Margate on Sunday. Edgley left the Kent town on June 1, swimming in a clockwise direction, and has not set foot on land since, swimming up to 12 hours a day, including through the night. He has battled strong tides and currents in cold water, storms, jellyfish and swimming into winter.

His efforts have taken their toll on his body, including shoulder pain and wetsuit chafing. Edgley’s odyssey was compared from the outset to the feat of Captain Matthew Webb, who in 1875 became the first person to swim the English Channel. But, while more than 1,900 swimmers have since made the crossing, few are likely to follow in Edgley’s wake. His mantra on challenges is that one must be naive enough to start and stubborn enough to finish. He has shown stubbornness in spades. Edgley had predicted that the swim, with Cornish sailor Matthew Knight supporting from his catamaran Hecate, would take 100 days.

He entered the Guinness Book of World Records on August 14, 74 days into the challenge, for the longest staged sea swim, according to the World Open Water Swimming Association. But Edgley, then at the Isle of Skye, knew the record would only stand if he completed his journey to Margate. Eighty-two days later, he will. Edgley has chronicled his journey on social media and weekly vlogs for Red Bull, which is backing the challenge, and he has gathered a large following of admirers, in awe of his success.

He has expended an estimated half-a-million calories. One constant source of fuel has been bananas, with Edgley eating more than 500 on the adventure. His positive disposition has impressed many, even when swimming through the sewage-like waters of the Humber. Edgley is already in the Guinness Book of World Records. In April 2016, he completed a rope climb the equivalent height of Mount Everest in 19 hours, two months after doing a marathon while pulling a car. But he has also experienced disappointment. In 2017, he attempted to swim the 24.8 miles (40km) between Martinique and St Lucia while pulling a 100lb (45.3kg) tree trunk.</s>Edgley becomes first man to swim around Britain

LONDON: Adventurer Ross Edgley became the first man to swim around the coast of mainland Britain as he completed a 1,780 mile-trip to make a triumphant return to dry land in Margate on Sunday.

The 33-year-old, from Grantham, Lincolnshire, had left the Kent town on June 1, swimming in a clockwise direction. He had not set foot on land once and slept in a support boat. Edgley, who swam up to 12 hours a day, battled through strong tides, hundreds of jellyfish stings and had to cope with a disintegrating tongue caused by salt water during his Great British Swim. He expended an estimated 500,000 calories during the journey, and ate more than 500 bananas to provide him with a constant source of energy.</s>(CNN) — After spending 157 days at sea, 33-year-old Ross Edgleyman came ashore Sunday and became the first person to swim around the mainland of Great Britain, according to Red Bull, the company that documented his feat.

Ross Edgley started the 1,791-mile trek June 1 in Margate, a coastal town in southeast England. On Sunday morning, he returned to the same location and was met by 300 other people who swam the last half mile with him.

“I won’t lie, getting a tad emotional now knowing it’s coming to an end,” he posted on Instagram on Friday.

For the past five months, Edgley has endured rough seas, jellyfish stings, sharks and icy waters.

He never set foot on land throughout his journey and instead rested on a support boat between his six-hour swims, according to Red Bull. He and the company called his effort The Great British Swim.

Edgley faced health issues ranging from chaffing around his neck from his wetsuit and “salt mouth.” That condition is caused by the buildup of salt on his tongue, which made pieces of his tongue flake off.

But nothing stopped him from completing his race.

In August, his path around Great Britain was recognized as the Longest Staged Sea Swim propelled only by muscle power (no flippers).

Red Bull documented his journey since the beginning with weekly vlogs posted to their YouTube channel.

“It’s my hope that people remember the Great British Swim as an example or experiment in both mental and physical fortitude,” he said in a vlog posted by Red Bull on Thursday.</s>Ross Edgley's feet have not touched dry land for five months.

He's become the first person to swim the entire coast of Great Britain.

The 33-year-old battled injury, tides and jellyfish stings during his epic endurance swim.
Ross Edgley becomes the first person to swim around Great Britain. The 1,780-mile (2,860 km) swim lasted 156 days.