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“It feels like a bit of a dream right now,” said Aerin Bowers.
The Saskatoon-born swimmer recently joined the fewer than 2,000 people who have swum across the English Channel.
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“Even though it’s a little bit over a week ago, I’m still sort of piecing together everything that happened,” Bowers said.
“It still feels pretty special.”
Listen to Bowers on the Evan Bray Show:
Bowers, who now lives and trains in British Columbia, completed the 18.2-nautical-mile swim in 16 hours and 33 minutes. She joined the Evan Bray Show on Wednesday to share the details of her achievement while boarding a train in London, England.
“There’s about a two to three-year waiting list in order to get a pilot, which is the boat that takes you across the channel,” she explained. “Then there are a number of things you have to do to meet the requirements of the Channel Swimming Association. You have to do a six-hour qualifying swim in water less than 16 C.”
Bowers grew up speed swimming, but stepped away from the sport for several years. She found her way back into the water when her daughter began her own swimming lessons.
“I just gradually started looking for other local swims,” she said. “I discovered ones that were a little bit further away, and then just gradually built up my distance.”
While the channel was always a distant dream, it became a concrete goal in 2019. That year, Bowers was accepted into Switzerland’s 26-kilometre Lake Zurich race, and her coach encouraged her to aim even higher.
Starting in the dark at 2:30 a.m. in Dover, Bowers faced cold water, strong tides and jellyfish stings during the gruelling swim.
“It almost felt like walking through a bush of stinging nettles,” she said. “Your whole face is just kind of numb and tingly.”
At times, Bowers said she felt as though she was swimming in place because of the currents.
“You really have to get to certain spots in the channel or you can be pushed back,” she said.
Despite the physical challenge, Bowers said she remained focused on raising money for Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart charity, which helps kids access sport and recreation programs.
“I was very privileged as a kid,” she said. “When my dad passed away a few years ago, it all sort of aligned that I should be fundraising for a charity that provides support for kids who need it.”
She recently reached her $10,000 fundraising goal.
Next up for Bowers are swims across various B.C. lakes and, eventually, California’s Catalina Channel and possibly even Loch Ness in Scotland.
“It kind of takes a certain kind of person to enjoy a sport like open-water swimming,” Bowers said. “It can be lonely. There’s a lot of sensory deprivation, and it’s painful, but I sort of feel like now I’m part of the club.”
