Enduroman Nick Thomas died in attempt to swim the English Channel

Another extreme sports athlete sadly lost his life doing what he loved. Enduroman Nick Thomas was taken from the water about a mile (1.6km) before the finish of the swim in France. He was competing in the famous Enduroman* Arch-to-Arc race.

http://www.iltalehti.fi/

Nick Thomas had successfully finished the 87 mi/140 km run from London’s Marble Arch to the Dover coast and he was 16 hours into his swim when he fell unconscious.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/

The swimmers were of course supported by an extremely experienced support team, which immediately reached to Nick Thomas. “He was given CPR and taken to Calais where he was sadly pronounced dead. It is an extreme sport, we know the risks. He was doing what he loved doing. Our thoughts are with his family”, said a spokesman for the Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation.

*Enduroman connects the Marble Arch in London to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The event includes an 87-mi /140 km run from London to the south coast (Dover) and a 181-mi/291 km bicycle ride to Paris. From the south English coast of Dover, athletes must complete the Channel swim to the French coast in Calais. The usually 21 mi / 33.8 km can take from 7 to 27 hours to complete, depending on the tides and current, in water temperatures of 16°C (61°F) or below.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/

The unfortunate fate of enduroman Nick Thomas has devastated many fellow participants, as well as the event’s organisers. Nick was an experienced ultra-distance athlete who had crossed the Channel at least once before, completing the Enduroman race successfully and has also participated in the Ironman Lanzarote event – a qualifier event for the Enduroman.

The loss of a human life is always sad no matter how the life has been lost… This is no reason to stop living our lives to the fullest and in every way we love to experience it.

Our sincere condolences to his family and friends. R.I.P.