A PAIR of keen swimmers have smashed a50-year-old aquatic record by swimming around Walney Island in under ninehours.
Sustained by only two cans of soft drink and a coupleof Mars bars, veteran swimmer Chris Green, of Cartmel, and swimmingpartner Derek Griffiths, of Barrow, plunged into the choppy waters of theIrish Sea just after 8.30am onSaturday.
Eight-and-a-half-hours later, the pair, who onlylast year swam all 16 of the region's Lakes, emergedtriumphant.
After the swim, Mr Green told the Gazette: "Thereare some very treacherous currents in the water around Walney Island butwe had put many months of preparation into this swim so we were confidentwe would make it.
The last man to swim around Walney Islandwas Edward May of Barrow and that was around 50 years ago.
Hedid it ten hours 15 minutes."
The pair, who started theirjourney at The Round House, Bigger Bank, ploughed through 25 miles ofwater to reach their destination and were backed up by six canoeists and amotor boat.
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