Dubai: UAE resident Sam Brenkel will begin a 5,000-km cycle, swim and kayak adventure from John O’Groats in his native Scotland to the Romanian coast of the Black Sea on June 8. He hopes to finish his mission by September.
The 26-year-old Dubai-based programme manager will cycle approximately 1,500km from John O’Groats to Dover on the south coast of England, before swimming 40km from Dover to Calais in northern France. From Calais he will then cycle 735km to Donaueshingen in Germany, which marks the start of the River Danube, along which he will Kayak 2,860km to the mouth of the Black Sea.
Brenkel has taken up the challenge to raise funds and awareness for charitable groups Peas and Restless Development, who aid educational and youth-led community initiatives in Africa and Asia.
He has previously cycled 3,800km across North America, from Vancouver, Canada to Boston, USA, and has sport in his blood as his father Ivan is the team doctor for Edinburgh-based Scottish Premiership side Heart of Midlothian.
“Some aspects of this trip, like cycling the length of Britain, swimming the English Channel and kayaking the length of the Danube, have long been on my ‘to do list’, so I just combined them to create this journey,” he told Gulf News.
“Out of the three disciplines I’m probably most comfortable swimming. However, this is also the toughest part of my trip. The English Channel swim is considered to be one of the toughest open water swimming challenges in the world. The water is very cold, the tides are strong and the waves are high, so this is the section that has taken up most of my attention and is the part of the trip that I am dreading the most.
“I am really looking forward to the kayaking part. The Danube passes through 10 countries, nine of which I’ve never been to before. It looks really beautiful and I’ve heard the people are friendly all the way along. But I have absolutely no experience of kayaking, so that should be interesting.
“Cycling is the only one of the three disciplines that I have experience of doing for so long. In 2012 I cycled across America. This trip will have different challenges to the America trip, namely weather, but in terms of distance I have done further before.”
Asked what would happen if he fails in his mission, Brenkel replied: “If I fail, then I will still have had a great trip. Failing is part of life – if you don’t fail, then it means you haven’t taken any risks, and if that’s the case, then you fail by default.”
To follow Brenkel on his journey, visit: www.jogtotheblacksea.com.
