British extreme athlete Ross Edgley has become the first person to swim around Iceland after completing his 1,000-mile journey.
The 39-year-old ultramarathon swimmer has spent the last four months experiencing towering waves, freezing temperatures, and inquisitive local wildlife, while circumnavigating the Nordic island.
The challenge has seen parts of his tongue fall off from prolonged exposure to saltwater, as well as moments of beauty in the rugged landscape.
He arrived back in Reykjavik – where he set off from on 17 May – on Monday afternoon at around 5.09pm UK time and was drank from a Viking horn as he crossed the finish line.
“This has been the toughest and most ambitious challenge I have attempted yet,” Ross said upon completing the swim.
“Iceland provided an incredible opportunity to test my physical and mental limits – the country has provided some insane experiences I will never forget.”
Ross, from Cheshire, is no stranger to endurance events like this. In 2018, he swam nearly 1,800 miles around the coast of Great Britain and earned a Guinness World Record for swimming 317 miles along the Yukon River in Canada.
But the punishing cold as he swam 30km (18 miles) a day around Iceland was something else.
“The body just takes a consistent battering,” he told Sky News during the challenge, characteristically cheery and enthusiastic despite everything.
“You just do your best to keep it in some sort of shape, controlling the inevitable breakdown of your body, hoping that you get back into Reykjavik.”
He has been putting away between 10,000 and 15,000 calories a day – with pasta and his new favourite Icelandic liquorice as menu staples – just to keep going.
The feat of endurance in the land of Norse Gods was praised by ‘Thor’ himself – actor Chris Hemsworth.
The Marvel actor said: “Ross breaks the mould and redefines endurance sport and adventure. He’s what happens when tough and crazy collide.
“This wasn’t just a swim, it was an epic saga that now takes its rightful place in Icelandic folklore.”
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There was also a big scientific focus for Ross’s challenge.
“If we achieve this, it will achieve so much in terms of sports science – the first person to swim around Iceland. But that wasn’t a big enough reason to do it,” he said.
Ross spoke to scientists who said that if he was “crazy enough” to want to do the swim, he would be able to collect daily samples of environmental DNA in the water, as well as levels of microplastics.
To get ready for the cool Icelandic waters, Ross took inspiration from animals that have made it their home for thousands of years: whales and seals.
“I ended up putting on about 10-15 kilos of just pure fat. A bit of muscle as well, but a lot of fat.
“When you look at what sort of animals survive in Iceland, there’s that idea of sea blubber. You want insulation, you want body fat.”
Perhaps unlike the seals of Iceland, however, Ross was not perturbed by visits from orcas during his journey.
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“We’ve seen a lot, pods of them have come by and checked me out, wondering what the strange Englishman was doing in Icelandic waters, and then we went our separate ways.
“I want to combat some of the bad PR that orcas might have because there’s never been a verified case of an orca attacking a human in the wild. It just doesn’t exist.
“They’re amazing animals that deserve our respect and shouldn’t be feared.”
Picture credits: Ross Edgley/YouTube. Videos: Olly Jelley and Ben Marshall
