You try not to overthink' One man's quest to swim 10 lakes

The physical effort as he battles the currents, the cold and the wind is massive, but the mental challenge of ploughing on alone for hours on end is even more testing.

- Steven Morris

Neil Gilson, 39, from Devon, is about to begin the next leg of his attempt to become the first person to swim the 10 largest lakes in Switzerland, covering a total of about 230 miles.

If he succeeds, Guinness World Records is expected to recognise him as the first to complete the "Legend of the Lakes" challenge, setting the pace to beat for other ultra swimmers in future.

The father of three, a former international swimmer, aims to use the challenge to draw attention to a neuropsychiatric condition that affected his son Jack at 18 months old. "It is a huge mental and physical challenge, but I'm determined to complete it to raise awareness of the condition that changed my son's life," he said.

Gilson was once ranked second in Britain for the 1500m freestyle and after finishing his race swimming career he turned to endurance challenges.

In 2024, he accomplished a world record swim across Lac Leman (Lake Geneva), completing 45 miles in 22 hours and nine minutes. But that was not enough. "I love the lakes and the scenery and came up with the idea of the 10 largest lakes in Switzerland because it just sounded like a big, exciting challenge," he said.