Dani goes to great lengths for record swim in Lake Geneva

The 46-year-old ultramarathon swimmer completed the 73km length (around 45 miles) of Lake Geneva in 21 hours, 28 minutes and 42 seconds.

And Dani believes this will be ratified as a record time when the Lake Geneva Swimming Association meets next month.

She swam from Chillon Castle at the eastern end of the lake to the Bains des Pâquis in Geneva, crossing the border from France into Switzerland in the process. Eight hours of the swim took place in darkness, with only the support boat's lights to guide her.

Originally from London, Dani has been based in Lytham for almost 20 years and told The Express: "I stopped every 2km, which was around every half-hour, for food and fluids but you have to stay in the water all the time.

"When you touch land on the other side, you have to get out and stand up, which isn't easy after being in water for almost a full day!"

Dani became only the 20th person to swim the full length of the lake, almost 40 years to the day after the feat was first achieved by Swiss Olympian Alain Charmey, whose time was not bettered until two years ago.

The achievement felt all the greater for Dani after her previous attempt last September proved unsuccessful.

Defying a thunderstorm in a bid to fulfil her ambition, Dani was forced to abandon that attempt due to illness after completing 58.5km in 17hrs, 10mins.

However, she used that as extra motivation this time and explained: "The weather did play a massive part but I was so upset last time.

“I did more training in open water this time, doing longer swims. I was in Coniston and Windermere regularly throughout May and June and I practised more night swimming."

Dani's development as an ultramarathon swimmer has been remarkably rapid. "I had stopped swimming when I had my family but got back into it after a 12-year gap when I joined a SwimFit group at St Annes pool,” she explained.

"People encouraged me to try open water swimming and when Covid happened I had no choice – the pools closed and it was the only way to carry on swimming.

"But to go from 5k to 73 in six years is a big jump and I'm still not classified as very experienced.

"I did most of my open water swimming in the Lake District. I swam the length of Coniston, then Ullswater and then Windermere, where I did two-way and three-way swims.

"Before Geneva I swam Lake Zurich, though Geneva is three times longer."

Extra support was provided by 12-year-old son Isaac, who was with her on the lake this time as a member of the support crew.

"The school holidays had started, so I was delighted Isaac could be there with me and stayed up all night to help me complete the swim," Dani added.

Family comes first, though, which is why she's planning no similar swims in future.

"It's too much of a strain on family time," she says, "but you can't go from doing that to absolutely nothing, so I've joined the Preston Masters Swim Club and will swim shorter distances."

Her endurance feats have also benefited the British Heart Foundation, with almost £10,000 raised for the charity.

"I work in the medical industry and the BHF funded my research, so I wanted to give something back," she says.