Meet the Irish swimmers risking body weight loss of 35% as they prepare for a unique challenge

The latest chapter in a series of extreme adventures.

Do you know, no-one has ever swum around Ireland in one go before? To some of you out there, that may seem entirely logical. Others will find it odd that a circumference around our relatively isle has never been attempted. A tiny, wee minority may actually consider giving it a go. Maghnus Collins and David Burns have each other for company in that minority. On June 1, starting from Dublin and heading clockwise, the pair will plunge headfirst into a 1,400 kilometre swim around the island of Ireland. Depending on physical conditioning, currents and weather, the swim could take anything from three to four months. Collins, from Limerick, and Burns, a Tyrone native, come from good, adventuring stock. As a team, they have travelled from Istanbul to Shanghai on foot, bike and kayak. They have run 250 kilometres across the Sahara Desert and cycled [unsupported] 17,500km from Cape Town to Ireland. Collins and Burns are also the creators of Ireland's toughest endurance race, simply known as The Race. Held in Northwest Donegal for the past two years, it pushes competitors to complete a course that includes a half marathon run, a 175 km cycle, 15 km paddle, an 800-metre vertical climb and a full marathon. All within 24 hours. The latest endeavour sees the men step out from behind the wheel of support cars and back into the thick of it. [caption id="attachment_25585" align="alignnone" width="630"] David Burns and Maghnus Collins are about to attempt to swim 1,400KM taking 90-120 days around Ireland. They are backed up by Philip Hatton and Leisha McPartland.[/caption] The scale of the task facing the men, and the Costcutter Swim 360 Team, is evidenced by the fact, if successful, it would also be the longest verifiable swim ever completed in the Atlantic. Swimming up to 12 hours per day in two six-hour shifts Collins and Burns aim to complete the challenge in just 100 days taking advantage of the slightly warmer summer water temperatures. Burns says:

'Many of the remaining challenges in man-powered adventuring will take place at sea and out of boats. Swimming as a means of covering long distances has been a largely unexplored field of human endurance and in attempting this circumnavigation we will be stepping somewhat into the unknown, this fact excites our whole team.'

Hyper weight loss and the constant threat of hypothermia are just two of the obstacles facing the team, who are undertaking the challenge to raise funds and awareness for  the RNLI Lifeboats and Gorta Self Help Africa. Collins explains, 'Spending up to 12 hours in the water each day and through the night presents a significant issue in terms of maintaining a stable body temperature... Recent long distance open water swimming expeditions have experienced extraordinary difficulties with fat and muscle loss. A recent expedition saw the swimmer lose in excess of 35% of his body-weight.' It is expected that both Collins and Burns will burn through 7,000 calories a day. The average calorific intake for an Irish male is between 2,500 and 3,000. So, when the men are out of the water, they will be taking on-board calories and trying to get whatever rest they can get. 'This will be our single greatest physical test,' says Burns, 'and will hopefully conclude with an Irish team, supported by an Irish company completing the last great endurance challenge on this island.'