Swimming the English Channel is just a challenge for Allen McLeland

Allan McLeland of Darlington left Sunday for England with swimming on his mind — specifically, to be the first South Carolina man to swim the frigid English Channel.

McLeland is the director of human resources and organizational management at Sonoco Products Co. in Hartsville.

But he won’t be the first South Carolinian to swim the 21-mile channel. That title goes to Kathleen Wilson, who swam it in 13 hours and 10 minutes Aug. 25, 2001. Wilson was the principal harpist for the Charleston Symphony Orchestra at the time.
McLeland will practice this week, trying to get used to the cold water. He will attempt to swim the channel one day next week, depending on the weather.

He could start during the day or at night. He estimates it’s going to take him 16 hours, if he makes it. His swimming attire will consist of a Speedo, cap and goggles.

“After competing in triathlons for nine years, I decided it was time to try something different,” McLeland said. “In the back of my mind, I had always had this idea that I would try to swim the English Channel some day. Now, after almost two years of distance swimming, that day is almost here.”

McLeland went to Dover, England, several weeks ago to see what he would be up against. He swam for six hours in Dover Harbor.

“I quickly realized how incredibly hard this swim will be due to the cold alone,” he said. “A water temperature of 60 degrees doesn’t sound that bad, but it’s absolutely frigid — a turn-you-lips blue, hypothermia, can’t-stop-shaking kind of frigid.”

McLeland said the cold, rather than the rough water or distance, is what causes many people not to make it across.

Accordingly, he is adding as much weight as possible to his 5-foot-9-inch frame.

“I have added 20 pounds to my triathlon weight and hope to be up to 180 pounds before I swim,” he said. “Sounds like fun, but it’s really not.”

How did McLeland prepare for this feat he hopes to accomplish, besides taking cold showers since spring?

He swam twice a day during the week, spent five to six hours in a pool, lake or ocean on the weekends, and has been working out with weights for two years.

And he participated in several open-water swims, including the Potomac River Swim in Virginia in 2007 and 2008; the 2008 U.S. Master’s Swimming National championships in Clemson; and the Swim Across the Long Island Sound. The Long Island swim was shortened because of thunderstorms.

“I still gained confidence in my ability to endure, as I was stung by jellyfish over 100 times,” he said. “I have decided I am anti-jellyfish.”

McLeland knows the challenge is daunting. While swimming in Dover Harbor, he had to change to a faster stroke to ward off the cold. He also will have to deal with tides, wind and currents.

The Anastasia, an escort boat, will follow McLeland throughout the swim. He can receive food and drink from the boat via a long pole or a thin rope to pass it to him. He is forbidden to have physical contact with another person during the swim.

Most swimmers use some sort of grease on areas of the body that are prone to chafing, such as the neck, shoulder, armpit and groin.

And because some of the swim will occur during darkness, the swimmers are allowed to attach chemical glow sticks to themselves to help their pilots see them.

But why would somebody who has a comfortable lifestyle, a great family, an undergraduate degree in psychology and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of South Carolina want to go to such extremes?

“Because life is short and I like to set goals and see what I can do,” McLeland said. “I would rather have tried and failed than to never have tried at all. I’m also doing this in the hope that it will encourage my two sons (Ben and Jacob) to go after whatever it is they want in life.”

And if he makes it, what might be next?

“I don’t know,” McLeland said, holding his cards close to his vest. “But you know what? There are only three people who have ever swum the channel and climbed Mount Everest. No American has ever done that.”

Sounds interesting, but it might not appeal that much to McLeland’s wife, Lauri, who is flying to England on Friday with Ben and Jacob to cheer Allan on. The channel might be where she puts her foot down.