Sam Farrow, a British endurance swimmer from the Greater Manchester area, is believed to have broken a world record for the fastest swim across Lake Geneva by a woman, completing the feat in 22 hours and 48 minutes.
The 31-year-old mother-of-two swam continuously for 45.2 miles (72.8km) to traverse the length of the lake, located on the northern side of the Alps between France and Switzerland.
Farrow’s record has not officially been ratified yet, but if it is she will be the second British swimmer just this summer to break a Lake Geneva crossing record; Neil Gilson shattered the previous world record for a male swimmer back in July.
Prior to Farrow’s achievement, Australian Helen Conway had the fastest women’s time of 25 hours and 37 minutes, set back in 2017.
Following her record-setting swim, Farrow said she was in shock as she discussed her journey across the lake.
“I don’t think it’s quite sunk in yet,” Farrow said. “We went out there to try and get the fastest British female record and just in hopes of finishing it – I wanted to see what I could do… I never expected to get the overall fastest female or the time that I got. Complete shock.”
Farrow described the challenging and at times outright painful experience of completing the swim and how admiring the scenery of Lake Geneva helped her push through the mental and physical obstacles.
“I got to about 55km, my back fatigued, so all the big muscles in my back were just cramping,” Farrow said. “The last 15km was agony. Every so often, I would have to stop swimming and curl up into a ball to bend my spine. I would just make myself think, ‘you’re in the middle of Geneva at 4 am, it’s absolutely beautiful. How lucky are you?’ Not many people get the chance to do this.”
To accomplish the feat of swimming across the lake without stopping, swimmers are not allowed to touch the boat accompanying them, and no one on the boat is permitted to touch them.
During the swim, Farrow had to tread water during any breaks she took to eat or drink; carbohydrate powders and other snacks for fuel would be put into a bottle and tossed to her on a rope.
Prior to taking on the Lake Geneva crossing, Farrow’s longest swims Loch Awe, Loch Lomond and Loch Ness in Scotland, which each measure between 22.3 miles (36km) and 25.5 miles (41km).
She started training for the swim in December, juggling it with her job as an infant feeding practitioner and spending time with her children.
The record for swimming across the lake is sometimes referred to as The Signature and is set by the Lake Geneva Swimming Association, an organization recognized globally by endurance swimmers to adjudicate the swim from Chateau de Chillon to the Bains des Paquis.
Farrow will find out at the end of September if the record has officially been ratified.