Swimmer first to complete 81km length of Lake Wakatipu

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Wed, 08 Feb 2012 7:00p.m.

Ben Campbell-MacDonald

Ben Campbell-MacDonald

On Saturday at Kingston Beach Ben Campbell-MacDonald dived into the chilly waters of Lake Wakatipu and began swimming. 

It was 8.45 in the morning. He would crawl from the lake in darkness the following morning after 18.5 hours of continuous swimming.

Ben Campbell-MacDonald became the first person to ever swim the length of Lake Wakatipu - our longest lake, at 81 kilometes long.

That is like swimming from Rotorua to Taupo - from Wellington to Martinborough (and a bit more). From Auckland to Wellsford. Akaroa to Christchurch. Non-stop. In one of our coldest lakes.

This is a feat which long distance swimmers are hailing as one of this country's great sporting achievements.

Watch the video

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Comments

11 Feb 2012 11:09p.m.

Stuart Young wrote:

Congratulations Ben on your outstanding effort and record swim. I was surprised and concerned to read that you suffer from seasickness when swimming in rough conditions. I have been sailing (as skipper/navigator in Wellington/Cook Strait/from the Bay of Islands to Stewart Island/ and several trips to the Pacific Islands, for the past 40 years. I used to suffer moderately from seasickness, while my wife lay inert on the floor of the cockpit hoping the yacht would sink soon, our children and all! About 30 years ago we discovered Sturgeron, the ultimate sea sickness preventative. It works on the inner ear to take away all sensations of motion, and there are no side effects such as a dry mouth or drowsiness, which one can prove by taking the 2 tablets dose followed by one every 4 hours thereafter at home in your usual environment. We have never had a problem since, in fact my wife Jenny (who deserves a medal for continuing to sail with me in spite of her serious seasickness) is often down below preparing food for the crew on deck in appalling sea conditions. In the Official Report of the Inquiry into the loss of 15 lives in the 1979 Fastnet Yacht Race, under the heading of Seasickness, it reads 'Sea Sickness was not a problem on any yacht, all crews were using Sturgeron. It is not available in NZ, but it is an 'over the counter' item in all chemist shops in the UK, as well as being available on line. If buying on line do ensure it is from a reputable manufacturer. The only restriction in that it must be taken at least 2 hours before striking rough conditions, if you wait until you are feeling seasick don't waste the pills, you will probably be seasick. I am sure this will solve the problem for you. Cheers Stuart Young

08 Feb 2012 09:48p.m.

Lee wrote:

You da man ben... but i dont know about that support crew you have :p

08 Feb 2012 08:04p.m.

Alex wrote:

That's pretty amazing! As a runner I can't even run 81km continuously