Skip to content

Swim challenge 'error' leaves man barely able to walk

Holly Rattley,Wiltshireand
Sue Davies,BBC Radio Wiltshire
News imageMike Thorpe Susanna Thorpe from Fyfield in Wiltshire with brown hair and a pink jumper holding a banana and grinning with her arm around the shoulder of her husband Mike Thorpe who is wearing a green jumper and a medal around his neck, and holding a can of coca cola - with event barriers in the background.Mike Thorpe
Mike Thorpe completed an "extremely scary" charity swim after his wife accidentally selected the longest distance

A man said he could "hardly walk" after completing a long distance cold water swim following his wife's keyboard error.

Mike Thorpe, 57, from Fyfield in Wiltshire, was planning to swim one mile (1.6km) in the Swim Serpentine at Hyde Park in London, but was forced to swim an extra five miles (8km) after his wife hit the wrong button.

Susanna Thorpe said her husband's achievement was "amazing", but she would not be forgiven "for a very long time".

Mike described the swim as "scary", but he was happy to have raised £4,500 for the Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust (WBVT) which supports older and vulnerable people.

Susanna had meant to click the one-mile (1.6km) option for six people but ended up booking the six-mile (6km) option for one person.

"My lovely husband turned around and said don't worry I've got this, I'll do it.

"He's not a natural swimmer and he's got a frozen shoulder...it was really hard," Susanna continued.

More from Wiltshire

About 6,000 people took part in this year's Serpentine, but only 50 tackled the six-mile option.

He also has frozen shoulder, a condition that causes pain and severe stiffness in the shoulder joint, which meant he had to swim breast stroke rather than front crawl.

The water's temperature was about 16.9C (62 F) and Mike was "shaking so much" officials checked on him.

But with only one mile (1.6 km) to go, he decided to carry on.

News imageMike Thorpe Mike Thorpe from Fyfield in Wiltshire in the water at Hyde Park wearing a yellow swimming hat and googles with a yellow float behind him. Mike Thorpe
Mike, who has a frozen shoulder, completed the six-mile swim in breast stroke

For his training, Mike swam five days a week at the Marlborough Leisure Centre for four months, and also at Cotswold Water Park.

Mike, who chose not to wear a wetsuit, said he could "hardly walk" and was "staggering all over the place" at the end of the challenge.

"Half of it was fitness and half of it was grit...I underestimated the temperature of the water," he said.

News imageMike Thorpe Mike Thorpe from Fyfield in Wiltshire being interviewed at the finish line at the end of the Serpentine swim in Hyde Park in London, with the lake in the background.Mike Thorpe
Mike said he could "hardly walk" and was "staggering all over the place" at the end of the swim

WBVT director Jennie Shaw said, what Mike achieved was absolutely incredible.

"Taking on six miles of open-water swimming is no small feat, and we've been amazed by the determination, commitment and courage he has shown over the past four months.

"We're hugely grateful to Mike for taking on this 'accidental' challenge and raising vital funds for our charity," Shaw added.

Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.

More on this story
Related Internet Links