“I’M LOOKING FOR SOMETHING THAT WILL SCARE ME”

Seeking Challenges That Push You Beyond Limits

Nominated for World Open Water Swimming Association’s (WOWSA’s) ‘Adaptive Performance of the Year’ Sophie Etheridge is a fierce advocate for inclusion in the world of open water swimming. 

We all push ourselves to be better, to conquer our fears, to face challenges head on no matter how daunting they might be, but the level to which Sophie has done all of the above and more will blow anyone’s mind. 

A keen swimmer her whole life, Sophie’s world was turned upside down after a sprained ankle following an accident on a bicycle in 2011 left her largely dependent on a wheelchair with Fibromyalgia and Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. Despite hypersensitivity to pain, making the water hard to touch, Sophie pursued her love for open water swimming, determined to focus on her ability, as opposed to her disability and continue discovering the sport she loved. 

Forced to use a wheelchair on land, swimming became extended freedom and in 2023, she took the definition of adaptive athlete to new depths when she swam the iconic English Channel, using only her arms, in an elapsed time of 29 hours and 4 minutes. 

Today, we are delighted to announce that Sophie will be joining us this year for #5Montenegro. Despite being an experienced open water swimmer, an UltraSwim 33.3 event still challenges even the best of swimmers and we caught up with Sophie to ask why she has chosen to take part.

The next big adventure

I have done several big swims over the years, some I have been told I couldn’t do, that I wouldn’t complete, and I have always turned round and said, “watch me”. Despite this there are certain swims I get incredibly anxious about and sometimes even tell myself “I won’t be able to do that”. Mostly this is because I am unsure of how I will cope, not because I don’t want to do them. These swims are point-to-point swims, multi-day swims and swimming events abroad. 

Just before my channel swim last year someone said to me “It isn’t a challenge if it doesn’t scare you” - and this person was right. 

So this year I would choose a different kind of challenge…not one that was ‘nuts’ but one that, deep down, I would be truly scared of. The answer to the question ‘what is my next big challenge’ is an easy one - covering all the things that scare me - UltraSwim 33.3 #5Montenegro. The unique selling point of the UltraSwim 33.3 series is going abroad, swimming point-to-point and in a multi-day format. Why stop at conquering one fear when you can conquer all three in one go!

A challenge within a challenge

Firstly, let me explain the reasons I am scared and anxious about the three things above; point-to-point swims involve someone else getting my wheelchair from A to B with no damage. My disabilities and chronic illnesses make doing multiple big swims one day after another painful and difficult. I never know if it will be a good day or a bad day until the moment I wake up, so a multi-day swim event could mean I have to swim through a pain flare-up to complete a swim. Finally, going abroad – the only time I have flown with my wheelchair the airline lost it, I am fearful of damage to the chair, or even them losing it again!

I contacted Susie at the UltraSwim 33.3 to see if a wheelchair user had done the swim event before, the answer was no, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t do it and the team would help me in whatever way they could. We set up an online meeting with the organisers and before the meeting I emailed with my concerns, and I must say, I was surprised and smiling like a cheshire cat when I realised, they had come up with a solution for everything, not only in terms of the actual swimming but also in terms of the travelling and the hotel too. As soon as I realised that someone would be able to come with me to help me with travelling and in and around the hotel for little extra cost I booked the event.

Bring on October!

I am really looking forward to attending the event, not just because it’s a huge challenge for me but because I am looking forward to meeting and making friends with lots of swimmers from all over the world. I am looking forward to pushing myself, facing my fears and frankly getting to be a swim geek for an entire week!

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On the topic of participation and inclusion, UltraSwim 33.3 Founder Mark Turner said: “I’ve worked in many sports over the years and without a doubt open water swimming is the most diverse in every sense of the word. Considering age, background, ability, weight, shape size, class - swimming truly is for everyone. It’s what makes it so special as a sport and why it’s growing so fast.  

“At UltraSwim 33.3 we attempt to always do in water starts and finishes, we want to stay focused on the swimming as opposed to people’s ability to get in and out of the water. 

“We are privileged to have Sophie at #5Montenegro and our team are in admiration of everything she has accomplished. We hope her participation will encourage others to take the plunge and reach their full swimming potential. 

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If you have questions about competing in an UltraSwim 33.3 event, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team on WhatsApp +33 6 11 71 42 04 or via email on ultraswim333@gmail.com