Grandma hopes to become oldest woman to swim English channel

By Izzy Hawksworth via SWNS

A grandmother is hoping to become the oldest ever woman to take part in a relay swim across the English Channel.

Dot Wagstaff, 81, has been training five times a week in preparation for the mammoth challenge.

She will be part of a group of six women taking it in turns to swim legs of the 21-mile crossing between Dover and France next month.

Sprightly Dot, of Pateley Bridge, North Yorks., said: "I'm excited and nervous. I'm excited to get the chance to actually do it.

“But there's the conditions and the unpredictability of the sea and the coldness [to contend with]. It will be demanding."

Dot says she first considered swimming the channel when she was in her early twenties, but then it "went off her radar" and she forgot about it.

When she was in her sixties, she competed in the Ironman world championships in Hawaii.

She also represented Great Britain three times in the world standard distance triathlon age group event in New Zealand, Canada and London.

She decided to take part in this relay after a friend, a swimming coach, suggested she should do it.

Each of the relay team will swim for an hour before handing over to the next member of the team, and repeating that for at least another two legs of the crossing.

As well swimming, Dot has cold baths and showers to try to get used to the cold temperatures ahead of the challenge.

She said: "I've upped my swimming - I always used to swim two to three times a week but now I'm swimming four or five times a week.

"I also do a lake swim once a week and I sit in a cold bath so I can try to acclimatize to the cold or I have a cold shower. I do other things to keep fit.

"I've done a couple of half Iron Mans but I did the world championship Iron Man in Hawaii when I was in my early sixties.

"It was good and hard but there's a lot of training for that as well.

"It was a 2.4 mile sea swim, 112 mile bike ride and a full marathon."

Dot is taking part in the relay to raise money for charity Cosmic, which supports neonatal and pediatric intensive care units at St Mary's Hospital and Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital in London.

She will be joined in the relay by two women from York, one from Scotland, one from the Midlands and another from the south of England.

A spokesperson said: "Everyone at Cosmic Charity are extremely proud of Dot’s determination in taking on the Cosmic Rays Channel Relay Swim at 81 years old.

"Dot’s spirit is truly inspiring and we’re extremely grateful to her and the rest of the Cosmic Rays team for taking on this challenge."

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