Extreme open-water swimmer Ryan Stramrood has successfully completed his ultra-marathon swim around St Helena, setting a phenomenal new record of 16 hours, 50 minutes, and 42 seconds.
Dropping into the water at 23:59 on Wednesday, March 18th, the 52-year-old adventurer swam entirely unassisted. Adhering strictly to the traditional values of open water swimming.
Ryan who flew to the Island this week from Johannesburg conquered the St Helena sea’s wearing only a standard swimming costume, a single silicone hat, and goggles, without the use of a watch or any performance enhancing devices.
The St Helena circumnavigation spearheaded by Open Water Africa is quickly becoming one of the most formidable pioneering challenges in the sport.
Ryan is the third person to successfully complete the swim, following in the wake of two trailblazers who recently proved the route was possible. Dina Levacic previously set the benchmark with a superb finish time of 17 hours and 13 minutes (maintaining a stroke rate of 60), while Angus McPherson completed the physical and mental test in 20 hours and 2 minutes.
For Ryan, seeing Dina and Angus succeed was both an inspiration and a source of pressure. “Now that we know the standard has risen and it can be done, that means I don’t want to be number three who doesn’t make it,” Ryan noted before the swim.
An accomplished athlete, Ryan is no stranger to brutal waters. His resume includes crossing the English Channel (34–35 km), navigating South Africa’s False Bay (34 km), and an astonishing 146 crossings from Robben Island to Big Bay (7.4 km). However, the 47-kilometer point-to-point course around St Helena was a completely new distance for him. To prepare, he began a rigorous training block in November, pushing his distance to between 45 and 50 kilometres per week, split evenly between pool sessions and open-water conditioning to brace for St Helena’s unpredictable chop and currents.
Ryan accurately predicted that the island swim would be a “70% mental game.” Swimming past rock and reef formations against an intimidating, towering island backdrop, he relied heavily on his specialised support crew to push him through the “pain cave” when his physical reserves ran low.
Supporting him were two support vessels. The Enchanted Isle, skippered by Johnny Herne and his crew, managed the outside perimeter, while Ryan swam alongside his breathing side next to the Seahawk Odessey, skippered by Jamie Yon and Jamie Essex.
Crucial to his mental survival was his partner and support crew member, Leigh de Necker An elite athlete in her own right having completed a continuous 100-mile ultra-trail run in 36 hours despite an early injury Leigh was tasked with keeping Ryan’s mind focused during his darkest moments in the water. Formal observer Howard James from Open Water Africa was also aboard to document the attempt, monitoring everything from Ryan’s stroke rate and fluid intake to water temperature and wind direction.
As Ryan reached the pier, his time of 16:50:42 officially etched his name into the history books. His strategic gamble paid off perfectly, culminating in a monumental victory for Open Water Africa and the global open-water swimming community.
Photo credit Howard james – Open Water Africa