Channel crossing: Caen swimmer Marion Joffle tackles the Everest of swimming
By Clemence Pille
Published on
Native Flers in the Orne, Marion Joffle started swimming at the Lisieux club in 2007. At 23 today, the member of EN Caen has several titles ice water world champion, as well as many titles of champion of France. The one who calls herself the “Smiling Penguin” attempted the Ice Mile in the Arctic on May 4, 2022, i.e. 1609m in zero degree water. The attempt aborts at 1550m due to water in the lungs, but represents for Marion a victory over herself. While waiting to be able to remember the feat, another challenge is looming, in less cold water but over a much longer distance…
“I wanted to see what was above 25km”
The 25km is a bit like a swimming marathon. Not enough for Marion Joffle who has already covered 70km in the pool in 22 hours during the 24h of swimming in Lausanne in 2019. The crossing of the Channel, Marion has been preparing for it since 2017 after having attended that of Philippe Fort, her “dad of heart” passionate about Ice Swimming, trainer in the Oise. After two attempts postponed by the constraints linked to the Covid, the extreme swimmer should set off from the United Kingdom between August 18 and 26, 2022.
Beyond a sporting challenge, she swims for a cause.
I associated this crossing with the fight that I led when I was little against cancer. I will cross this Channel against childhood cancer.
A race plan subject to weather conditions
The start will be on British soil near the port of Dover and the clock will stop when Marion walks on the sands of Cap Gris Nez in France, near Calais. An accompanying boat will follow her during her crossing with her trainer Mathias Faride and her boyfriend Anthony on board. The latter constitute an essential support for the crossing of Marion, in particular to provide him with the supplies planned every half hour.
Departure can be done night or day, depending on the best weather window, currents and tides.
Worst case scenario would be to leave in the evening as I would have to cross all night and mentally it is horrible. The only advantage of the night is that you don’t see the jellyfish, even if you smell them (laughs).
To climb Everest, you have to resist the cold
If the jellyfish will not be enough to put Marion in check, it is the cold that may cause her difficulties. She will swim in a simple swimsuit and not in a wetsuit, so that the crossing is approved. For several months, the extreme swimmer has been fighting for her body to assimilate fat, in vain.
I tried to gain weight to resist the cold but I can’t. This will be my big handicap for this crossing.
In a straight line, the crossing is thirty-four kilometers, but with the currents, the swimmer can make between forty and sixty kilometers. It must therefore remain at least between ten and fifteen hours in water between fourteen and eighteen degrees. The Ice Swimming swimmer is used to swimming in waters around zero degrees, but not for such long periods of time.
In order to prepare for this colossal effort, Marion swims about sixty kilometers a week, with six training sessions in the pool and four at sea, under the guidance of her trainer Mathias Faride.
A swimmer with a completely frozen mind
The chain of kilometers for years has never tired his motivation. Her exploits in the Arctic in May 2022, however, left her with physical scars that she still feels two months later, with tingling in her fingertips. If this ordeal tired her physically, her mental one was boosted.
Cold water has a lot of mental health benefits, it gives us a kind of dopamine. I was very happy after the Arctic, sometimes a little too much (laughs).
Despite her already huge track record, Marion continues to challenge herself. What motivates him to push the limits of his body ever further is the desire to enjoy life, and to see how far his body can go, always without putting himself in danger, she specifies. .
I was lucky enough to survive cancer so I think you see life completely differently, anything can happen anytime.
Crossing the Channel will mark the end of a cycle of several years for Marion who will put aside the long distances in open water a little to contain herself on Ice Swimming and add to her already well-stocked list of medals and international records. .
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