Tokyo Olympian Hector Pardoe became the fastest man to have swum the 10.5-mile (16.8km) length of Lake Windermere in north-west England while also raising money to improve water quality.
Pardoe – who was 10th in the 10k and 15th in the 5k at the World Championships in Fukuoka in July – crossed the stretch in 3 hours 40 minutes and 28 seconds.
The Windermere 10.5 Miles 1 Way (Fellfoot to Waterhead) British Long-Distance Swimming Association senior men’s record had stood to then Britain international Justin Palfrey at 3:48:04 since 1997.
Not only did he write himself into the history books but the 22-year-old also raised funds for the Lake District Foundation and its mission to improve the water quality of lakes in the UK.
Pardoe, who is coached by Andi Manley at Loughborough, then set his sights on the English Channel.
The Briton swam in the hot water of Odaiba Marine Park in Tokyo where a stray elbow hit him in the eye and forced him to quit.