In 2018, Ross Edgley became the first swimmer ever to circumnavigate Great Britain

After Ross Edgley’s dogged attempt to swim 40-kilometers between Caribbean islands while towing a 100-pound tree was thwarted by strong tides, the fitness fanatic returned home to England and plotted an even more ridiculous stunt…

Edgley embarked on a mission to become to first swimmer ever to circumnavigate the entire mainland of Great Britain. With 2,700 kilometers and more than 4 million strokes to go, it was an open question as to whether he could prevail.

A post shared by Ross Edgley (@rossedgley) on May 29, 2018 at 3:01am PDT

In the opening episode of The Great British Swim, Edgley’s preparation for the monumental feat got underway with detailed map studies, gear checklists, physio advice and mental preparation.

In Episode 2, Edgley set off on his epic swim around mainland Great Britain from Margate, a seaside town in the district of Thanet in Kent. The mayor of Margate and a small group of friends and family wished him well before he waded into the waters of the English Channel and took his first few strokes.

A post shared by Ross Edgley (@rossedgley) on Jun 11, 2018 at 12:35am PDT

It wasn’t long before Edgley encountered one of the biggest hurdles he is likely to face on the entire journey, and was forced to wrap duct tape around his neck to protect his skin from the salt water.

Episode 3 got off to a grim start with Edgley revealing that his tongue had started to fall apart due to the constant exposure to salt water. Meanwhile, his neck wound worsened, prompting him to try swimming sans wetsuit.

A post shared by Ross Edgley (@rossedgley) on Jun 14, 2018 at 12:33am PDT

Each time Edgley got out of the water, his position was recorded in a log book so he could resume swimming from the same exact location.

After one of the toughest sporting weeks of his life, Edgley dug deeper than ever to get through the pain and crack on with the Great British Swim. Edgley received a group of surprise visitors in the form of jellyfish that repeatedly bit him on his nose prompting him to take refuge on the boat.

Check out the next set of episodes of the Great British Swim as Edgley continues his Dances With Jellyfish…