Ross Edgley may be breaking a world record with every stroke as he continues his swim around Great Britain, but he knows there is plenty of work to do.

The 32-year-old Lincolnshire native 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 the Great British Swim has a long way to go, despite Edgley on Tuesday setting the record of the world’s longest staged sea swim, 74 days without stepping foot on land.

Edgley, who began his adventure from Margate on June 1 and is now at the Isle of Skye, told Press Association Sport: “So many people have said, ‘Amazing, home straight now’. And I’m like, ‘Home straight? We’ve still got most of Scotland and the whole of the country to swim’.

“We had a little bit of a moment on the boat. We sprayed some champagne and I was handed a plaque.

“I was like, ‘This is really cool’, but you can’t allow yourself to enjoy it that much, because the reality is we’ve got 900 more miles to go.”

Verified by the World Open Water Swimming Association (WOWSA), Edgley has broken Benoit Lecomte’s 1998 record of 73 days spent swimming across the Atlantic Ocean.

The Briton’s mark has been achieved without propulsion or breathing aids, just in a wetsuit, and should stand for some time. Lecomte is currently swimming the Pacific Ocean, but he is using a snorkel and flippers.

The number of bananas Edgley has eaten on his clockwise 2,000-mile circumnavigation of mainland Britain must also be some sort of record – 356 was Tuesday morning’s count.

Plant-based fuel? Although i can’t claim to be vegan, the diet for the #GreatBritishSwim has become very plant-based! The theory is largely based on research from the International Journal of Sports Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism who stated… “Ultra-endurance exercise training places large energy demands on athletes and causes a high turnover of vitamins through sweat losses, metabolism, and the musculoskeletal repair process.” So whilst meeting my calorie (and carb) requirements for the day are obviously KEY, it makes sense to do this on nutrient dense foods (essentially fruit rather than synthetic energels) to support my immune system for ALL 100 days+. On this note, one HUGE thank you to my vegan brobarian @humantimothy who taught me the power of plant-based foods many a marathon ago 🙂 As well as pioneers like @richroll and @thehappypear who are broadcasting incredible teachings/recipes to (again) change people’s perceptions of what’s possible 🙂

A post shared by Ross Edgley (@rossedgley) on

“There was a time when we were averaging a banana every 1.5 miles,” Edgley added.

Edgley’s support vessel is 50ft catamaran Hecate, skippered by Matt Knight, where he sleeps and eats before resuming swimming.

The former water polo player has swum twice daily, on the tides, for two-and-a-half months.

Weather conditions are one of the many challenges he has faced.

“Sometimes I’m not swimming, I’m surviving in the water,” Edgley added.

“It crosses the line at some point from being a swimming event to an aquatic adventure, because of the tides and currents and everything.”

Jellyfish are among the challenges Ross Edgley has faced on his swim
Jellyfish are among the challenges Ross Edgley has faced on his swim (Red Bull Media House)

Viewers of Edgley’s weekly Red Bull vlog will have seen his continual battle with salt tongue – prolonged salt water exposure ‘rotting’ the tongue – chaffing and jellyfish, not to mention the elements.

He tries to swim with a smile, but knows “it’s much easier said than done”.

He added: “After 74 days swimming, I’ve spent over 20 days in total on my own, staring into the blue abyss.

“It’s trying to keep happy, learning to enjoy your own company.”

He has coping mechanisms, has enjoyed distractions like racing a Royal Navy battleship and nature has helped.

He added: “There’s been times when I’ve been like, ‘This is awful, what am I doing?’

“And just at that point – and I remember all of these points… Bristol Channel – minke whale, follows me for five miles, we think it thought I was an injured seal, so it was guiding me to Welsh waters; trying to race dolphins in Devon; in Scotland, the scenery’s stunning.

“And we know it’s going to be the same down the east coast. There’s always something to look forward to and take your mind off it.”

Edgley says with such challenges you should be naïve enough to start and stubborn enough to finish and he will keep swimming once the adventure is over.

“The novelty doesn’t wear off,” he added.

– Follow Ross’s Great British Swim journey via live tracker at RedBull.co.uk/GreatBritishSwim and tune in to weekly vlogs at youtube.com/redbull