Dubai-based Maria Conceicao set to swim English Channel

Sport360 staff 20:31 22/08/2016
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  • Dubai-based Maria Conceicao will embark on her latest challenge on Saturday as she attempts to swim across the English Channel.

    The six-time Guinness World Record holder will swim to raise awareness and funds for the Maria Cristina Foundation in Bangladesh which supports nearly 200 children from the slums of Dhaka.

    To qualify for the world’s toughest swimming challenge, she had to pass a demanding six-hour test, having only taken up swimming in April last year.

    “I started to learn to swim last year initially to start doing triathlons and somebody suggested swimming the English Channel, it seemed like a good goal to set myself,” Maria told Sport360.

    In the current financial climate, Maria has found it difficult to raise donations and the charity remains in urgent need of funds to help more children to continue their education.

    “For me it is all about bringing attention to the charity foundation and the work that we do with slum children. It’s very difficult to get people’s attention these days and I still don’t know if swimming the English channel will be enough; even though it’s one of the toughest challenges out there (with less than 50% success rate) it may still not get the attention I need.”

    In order to adapt to rough sea conditions, Maria relocated to Jersey two months ago where she has been preparing for the challenge under the tutelage of coach Kevin Millerick.

    The challenge is set to start from Dover in England early Saturday morning and will finish at Cap Gris Nez in Northern French, taking between 16 and 20 hours.

    Although the Channel is 21 miles, high tides make the overall swim feel like 30 miles.

    Jelly fish, busy shipping lanes and strong currents are just some of the factors that can challenge a swimmer along the way.

    “Even if you have good weather to start swimming, there is no guarantee that it will stay good,” Maria said. “I went on the boat as support for a swimmer recently. He was a really strong swimmer and the weather started nice and calm, but gradually got worse and worse.”

    “He got half way in about 7.5 hours, but by that time it was so rough that he just wasn’t making any progress, the waves just kept pushing him back waves were crashing inside the boat.”

    A significant challenge awaits Maria but she’s no stranger to pushing her mental and physical boundaries having achieved a number of momentous records, from summiting Mount Kilimanjaro in 2010 to running seven ultra marathons on seven continents in six weeks in 2014, all aimed at helping MCF.

    A former Emirates Airlines flight attendant, Maria set up MCF in 2005 and divides her time between the UAE, Dhaka and around the world where she sustains the operation of the foundation.

    Maria Conceicao has recently released an autobiography, which charts the story of the Maria Cristina Foundation. All proceeds from the book will go towards the children’s education in Dhaka.

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