Day 1
I woke up at 08:30 on Tuesday 23rd August; it was an extremely hot day so I knew it would be a hard day for swimming in temperatures of over 33°C. I had my breakfast with my family and went to the swimming pool ready for it to be opened at 10:00. I managed to swim 50 lengths. I had forgotten how difficult it would be to swim 261 lengths in a swimming pool where there are many people also swimming pool at any one time and there are no designated swimming lanes. There were people everywhere so I had to swim round them in order to get to the other end of the swimming pool. For every length I did, the Chief of the Air Staff’s Warrant Officer (CASWO) Wilcox was watching me to make sure I completed them properly.
Later that morning, I swam a further 11 lengths to make 61 lengths so I only had 200 lengths to go which I knew I could do in 50 length stages. In the afternoon the pool opened at 15:00. I swam another 20 lengths. The pool was much busier in the afternoons! Later that day, I swam a further 50 lengths between and the pool was generally quieter in the evenings which meant that swimming the lengths became easier, I didn’t have so many people to swim around! I had made it to just over half way in the allocated time I had given myself.
Day 2
Again, I woke up at 08:30, had my breakfast and went to the pool for 10:00. I did 50 lengths giving me a total of 181 lengths. Only 80 lengths to go! I swam another 30 lengths between at lunchtime and later in the afternoon when the pool opened again at 15:00 I swam 10 lengths leaving me with 30 lengths to go in a time period of just under 4 hours! I did the final few lengths in stages of about 10 lengths then stopping for a break. I did this because the temperature by now was 34°C and I was exhausted by swimming lots of lengths in a busy swimming pool for almost two days! I swam 10 lengths in the mid afternoon. I decided to push myself and swim the final 20 lengths non stop. CASWO Wilcox had been watching me for the last two days in the swimming pool and I wanted to make these last 20 lengths my quickest. The pool was fairly quiet so I went for it! I managed to swim 20 lengths in 15 minutes, I think my last length was the quickest I have done in my life, but I was both relieved and exited that I had swum my target of 261 lengths in 48hrs!
Total swimming time – 3hrs 50mins
After the event Warrant Officer Wilcox congratulated Cadet Mason, “Well done Edward for achieving your goal ." "You should have gone to 4 squadron lad!”, he added.
"With many thanks to my parents and to CASWO Gary Wilcox for all their support.", said Cadet Mason.
WO Gary Wilcox is the Chief of the Air Staff’s Warrant Officer. For his profile on the RAF website see http://www.raf.mod.uk/organisation/caswo.cfm . The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) is Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton KCB ADC BSc FRAeS CCMI RAF. WO Wilcox’s role is to advise the CAS on all matters regarding the airmen and airwomen of the Royal Air Force. He recently visited the squadron to talk to the cadets and staff about his role within the Air Force and his job with CAS.
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