Home » Gutsy SA Swimmer’s Channel Dreams Dashed After Giving It Her All

Gutsy SA Swimmer’s Channel Dreams Dashed After Giving It Her All

Friends, family and colleagues have reached out to South African doctor and swimmer Karon (Kiki) Marx for her incredible achievement of attempting to swim the English Channel… and continuing against all odds until she was forced, just before the end, to leave the water. It must have been heartbreaking, after months of preparation, to have […]

By SAPeople
08-09-16 11:36
in Fab South African Stuff

Friends, family and colleagues have reached out to South African doctor and swimmer Karon (Kiki) Marx for her incredible achievement of attempting to swim the English Channel… and continuing against all odds until she was forced, just before the end, to leave the water.

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Kiki Marx swimming in South Africa. Source: FB/KikiMarx

It must have been heartbreaking, after months of preparation, to have to give up on her dream of crossing the Channel… but last night Marx bravely said in a public post on Facebook:

“I am safe and on my way back to Dover… it was an incredible swim but unfortunately the last 800 metres the current was too strong… I tried for 3 hours to cross that stretch to the beach, but it wasn’t meant to be…

“I was devastated when they aborted my swim, cried and begged to keep trying, but my safety came first and I was asked to leave the water.

“The months of mind and body preparation all came to the fore as well as everyone’s love and support…

“I didn’t make it and I have to believe it wasn’t meant to be… but I am proud because I honestly gave it my all. Thank you each and every one for your love care support and messages… they mean the world to me and I will try to answer each one soon.”

According to Swim for Hope, 46-year-old Marx is an anesthetist in Johannesburg and has always loved the sea and swimming. She completed her first Robben Island swim in 2013 and has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and done the Otter Trail.

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Kiki Marx. Source: SwimForHope

Friends and family have congratulated Marx for her attempt, and her “spirt and determination”.

An old Pretoria friend, now living in the UK, Lee Solomon Freund, wrote this morning: “So while I was going about my regular mundane Wednesday yesterday, my absolutely awesome friend Kiki Marx came from SA to swim the English Channel.

“She spent an incredible 19 hours in the water but unfortunately 800m from the end the currents changed and after 3 hours of trying to reach the shore, her boat pulled her out of the water.

“Kiks, in my mind you did it, you are an inspiration to everyone who knows you, you are a super star, a rock star, Wonder Woman and my hero!!! Kol hakavod kiks, you are a star!!!”

English Channel Fun Facts

Sourced from Google and 10degreeslatitude.com.

  • 13 hours is the average time to swim the channel.
  • Age 30 is the average age of swimmers attempting the crossing.
  • The fastest man did it in just under 7 hours. The fastest woman did it in 7 hours and 25 minutes.
  • The Channel is approximately 19 to 21 nautical miles or 35 kilometres (35000 mtrs) – although most swims are longer as swimmers do a zigzag path.
  • Between 1875 and 2007: 811 people had swum the Channel compared to over 2,000 having climbed Mount Everest.
  • There’s only a 10% success rate.
  • Average water temperature is 59-62 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • September is the second most popular month. (August is overwhelmingly the most popular, followed by July.)