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Pavel’s Channel challenge

A personal challenge like never before

Gift of Life Patron Pavel Morozov is seeking new horizons for the charity volunteer fundraising. Before this summer ends, he’s going to swim the English Channel to raise money for the children in Gift of Life’s care, and we’re inviting you to support this challenging, ambitious project.

Pavel, there’s no question that swimming more than 32 km of chilly, turbulent water from Dover to Calais isn’t going to be a walk in the park. How did you decide to take on such a challenge?

When I was young, I was a serious swimmer – I even took part in the Russia Championship a couple of times. Then I took a long break. It was only last summer that I decided to get back to regular training and pick a target to aim for. Two years ago, my friends and I completed the 5 km “Monte Cristo: Escape from Château d’If” challenge with flippers. After that came a small triathlon and a one-mile swim in Hyde Park. It was then that we finally found the big target we’d been looking for: the English Channel.

Training in progress

When’s the big day?

The English Channel is a fickle place, and a lot depends on the weather. We’re aiming to start during the window between 27 July and 1 August 2018. It’ll be my first time coming to France as a fare-dodger (though I’m sure they’ll check my Schengen visa before I set off).

For the full interview and more pictures…