Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 126, January 2020 | Page 42

MULTISPORT
qualified. I was even told I was disrespecting the
sport, but I felt that if I could do 6 hours in 12 degrees,
then I could do 12 to 13 hours in 15 degrees, which
is the average time for Channel swims. I also thought
that if I can flog out a Comrades in that time, I could
do the swim.”
A less than ideal start to the Channel swim
experiencing a drought in the Cape at that time, so
many of the pools were closed at gyms, and I had to
look for places to swim. That meant grabbing every
opportunity I could, even sneaking into dams on
farms, which led to some friends giving me a new
nickname, the ‘Puddle-Slut!’ I was once even chased
away from a farm by an angry farmer!
He also needed an official six-hour qualifier in water
at maximum 15 degrees, so he entered the Clifton
Challenge, where swimmers would do as many 1km
laps as possible in six hours. However, on the day
the wind was up and the water very choppy, so the
organisers could not put out the floating jetty for
seconding and feeding. “The first lap was hell, and
many of the swimmers got out after that, but a few of
us continued” says Howard.
“Elmarie had been with me on every swim thus far,
either on the boat or in a kayak, acting as my feeder
and shark-spotter, and even giving me a smack on
the head when my head popped up too much, but
that day she was supposed to be lying on the beach
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tanning while I swam. However, she realised I would
need seconding, because I need to top up with
drinks and nutrition every 30 to 45 minutes, so she
simply told the lifeguards she was taking one of their
kayaks!”
“So in her white bikini, she then paddled over to a
boat moored in the bay, which ironically had former
Springbok captain Corne Krige on board, and
demanded hot water for me, and then stuck with me
all the way. When I looked again, I was the only idiot
that had not gotten out the water, but I did my six
hours, completing a 20km swim in 12 to 13 degrees.
I was elated, because I knew that was the point of no
return for the Channel.”
Mixed Reactions
Howard says there were some raised eyebrows when
word got out that he had been given a slot for the
Channel. “I had no history in the sport, just three
official Robben Island swims, and was not even
regarded as a true marathon swimmer, so it felt like
some people were actually disappointed that I had
ISSUE 126 JANUARY 2020 / www.modernathlete.co.za
Having qualified, he needed to really up his training,
and over the next nine months he completed a
staggering 29 further Robben Island crossings,
including two doubles (Island to Big Bay and back
again immediately), and then a triple crossing covering
about 26km, becoming just the fourth swimmer ever
to do so. And most of these swims were done in the
worst conditions he could get, in order to simulate
Channel conditions. “I still enjoyed all of my crossings,
often with dolphins and sun fish for company, and
the 10-second rule got me through when I was taking
strain or in pain. I would sometimes even stop and
work out how many I had used.”
Complaining Body
Howard also signed up for a few swimming camps
in Langebaan, where he did a few more six-hour and
eight-hour swims, starting them at 3am so that he
could swim into daylight, as is done on the Channel.
However, this is where his body began to show signs
of wear and tear. “I picked up a rotator cuff injury and
needed a cortisone injection, and also had a chronic
sinus infection from all the salt water. I went to an
ENT specialist who suggested I postpone my swim
by a year so that I could have a sinus operation, but
I decided to work around it with meds and regularly
rinsing my nose with fresh water.”
Undaunted by these opinions, Howard had actually
registered his membership with the Channel
Swimming Association even before applying for the
slot, and thus his official CSA swim cap had arrived
in the post. “But it’s like a marathon T-shirt – you only
wear it if you actually ran the race, so I never wore it
until the Channel swim. I also bought myself a South
African flag speedo, long before Faf made them
popular at the Rugby World Cup, and used that in
events, because like running shoes, you need to get
used to your gear.”