Milko Van Gool
Route and date: Glenthorne to Porthcawl
Swim time: 8:20:38
Start: Glenthorne
Finish: Newton Beach (Ogmore River end)
Observer: Steve Butler
Swim Crew: Milan Van Gool
Ratified to the BCSA
Swimmers report:
This was the third time I came to the Bristol Channel, the third swim needed to achieve the Original Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming. In 2022 I started (from Porthcawl) but had to be pulled 6 hours into the swim with a bad shoulder injury that healed only to some extent and has bothered me to this day. In 2023 I came and waited for days but was weathered out. The BC will really only let you across when it wants to! With that in mind, I arrived properly humbled for a third attempt, this time with my son Milan as my coach.
As I saw there might be a possibility to break the Glenthorne-Porthcawl course record and, in case of a very fast time, even to break the record for fastest aggregate time of the Original Triple Crown, I had planned with skipper Meuryn Hughes a year in advance the best possible day of the year, which was the neap tide of 13 September 2024. It really was a stroke of luck that the weather cooperated that day, as the days before and after saw much windier conditions and a rougher sea. As neap tides go, it allowed the swim to go in a straighter line than usual.
My biggest worry ahead of the swim was not the weather but my shoulder, as well as my chest and lungs.
In July I had contracted Covid, followed by two episodes of bronchitis that each had had to be treated with antibiotics. Thankfully the last one cleared up just in time for the swim.
Also, having done 3 marathon swims in and around Ireland in July and August the right shoulder felt dodgy and would get seriously painful after 2 hours. For that reason (and for being slightly fed-up with long trainings...) I had trained only minimally since my last swim four weeks earlier, the Dal Riata Channel, where intense shoulder pain had nearly made me throw in the towel mid-swim. The rest period had clearly done the shoulder a lot of good, and the longer than planned tapering even seemed to make me a bit faster.
Also everything else aligned: calm sea for most of the swim except the last 6 kms, expert plotting of the course by Meuryn, superb coaching by Milan who really cracked the whip and kept me focused, and a mild water temperature.
In spite of all this the swim was a hard one as I was keen on breaking the course record and therefore had to push harder than I usually do, from beginning to end.
As usual the swim was a team effort and in the long run-up and during the swim I benefitted immensely from the combined wisdom, insights, and advice (incl. butt-kicking) of Marcel van der Togt, Milan van Gool, Asha van Gool-Ramdin, Meuryn Hughes and Tom Chapman. Also many thanks to observer Steve Butler.
Observers report:
There was very good communication with Milko and Meuryn in the days leading up to the event and agreeing logistics. We Agreed to meet at Penarth marina for 05:15 :00. We arrived at the Marina on time and was able to board the Rib Scorpio with our equipment immediately. Meuryn the Pilot carried out a Boat safety briefing and we left Penarth Marina to the barrage lock Cardiff Bay and made a swift exit to the Bristol channel. Meuryn explained during the safety briefing that the crossing to Glenthorne would be approximately 90 minutes. During the journey to Glenthorne Milko informed me that if the conditions were suitable, he would be trying to break the record for the quickest swim between Glenthorne and Porthcawl.
We arrived at Glenthorne at around 07:45. Milko started to get himself ready with assistance from his son Milan. Milko was wearing Arena trunks, goggles, and swim hat. He left the boat and swam ashore clearing the water, re-entering and starting the swim at 08:04:00 He swam back past the boat, and we made our way out into a flat calm channel in the Direction of Porthcawl.
Milko nutrition plan was to feed after the first hour then every 30 minutes using Bananas waffles and liquid carbohydrates. This was delivered by his son Milan. He was very knowledgeable and understood and implanted the plan to perfection.
The weather conditions at the start were very good with water temperature at 18C with a 5mphr wind from the North. Milko soon got into a good strong rhythm and a consistent stroke rate (62). His feeding plan was very meticulous, and his support was very well organised with feeding every 30 mins. Milan Pace was very good averaging over 4.K per hour. The swimmer also had paracetamol and Ibuprofen during the swim due to a sore shoulder.
The conditions were very good, and Milko continued at a strong fast pace and seeing very little affect by the tide. We got well inside Monk Nash Lighthouse ahead of schedule. The conditions started to change and got quite choppy when going over the sandbank. We started to make our way down the coast past Southerndown and Ogmore deeps
The Tide had now turned and helped Milko increase his already fast pace. During his last feed he was informed that the potential to break the record was still on but had to make a big push towards the shore. Milko picked up his stroke rate and swam hard for the beach.
Milko landed on the shoreline a few hundred yards west of the River Ogmore and cleared the water at 16:24:38 .This made his total swim time 08:20:38. He then got back into the water and swam back to the Rib. He was still in good shape physically and very pleased with his swim. Milko’s swim was very well Planned with the pilot prior and was very well executed by Milko and his son Milan. It was a pleasure to be part of this swim and to wittiness this outstanding athletic achievement. In Marathon swimming.
During our return to Penarth, It was evident that there had been meticulous planning between the swimmer and pilot choosing the best tide possible for the record swim attempt. Meuryn had plotted the course perfectly and gave the support team regular and accurate updates. Thanks to the Pilot for the support during the swim and keeping everybody safe.
Well done Milko that was an amazing swim, and you should be very proud of your performance.
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