Dad with motor neurone disease from village near Luton sets world record with charity swim

A dad from Slip End, near Luton, has set a new world record for achieving the longest unaided open water swim for a person living with motor neurone disease.

On Sunday (September 24), 54-year-old Mark O’Brien was joined by over 200 people at Denham Waterski Club in Uxbridge as he swam for over five hours. Mark was diagnosed with the rare degenerative condition last March and decided to raise money for charity and push himself to attempt to beat this world record.

Mark had a gruelling training schedule and continued to push forward despite still adjusting to the limitations of his condition. Before his swim, he said: “I was trying to train every day but my body just can't take it. It's a weird thing with MND – I might find it difficult to walk to the end of my drive, but if you put a person with MND in the water, they do feel relatively normal because their body weight is secured.”

In Uxbridge, Mark took to the water and emerged five hours and 23 minutes later, as a world record holder. He said: “It was an incredible experience with a subject-to-final verification world record distance of 11Km unaided and non-stop.

“It was a bit of a blur as I blacked out a few times but having watched back so much video footage, it prompted me to remember the huge sense of relief and pride. To be honoured with a Guinness World Record is secondary, but something that will forever be part of my legacy.”

For Mark, the hardest part of the event was saying goodbye to his mum and children at the start. He said: “They knew I would never give up – no matter what.”

Just 4km into the swim, Mark strained his groin on his right leg, leaving him to swim the rest of the attempt on one leg. He explained: “Adding to that, the water was freezing as I struggled to breathe throughout. In the end, I had mild hyperthermia but, luckily, thanks to all the people at the lake I got it under control.”

To finish off the swim, Mark’s children got into the lake and swam the final stretch with their dad. Reflecting on his huge achievement, Mark said: “Even when the odds are stacked against you, always believe the impossible can be made possible. I made a decision in December last year to lead whatever time I have left in my life in the most positive way.

"I hope people living with a terminal illness and the families who support them, are inspired that they can still make a difference.”

Mark hopes to smash his £25,000 donation target for the Motor Neurone Disease Association, having already raised over £20,000. He said: “I am currently at £20,350 on my Just Giving page - this includes Gift-Aid. BBC 3CR dedicated their entire 10am to 2pm show to my event. I am really hopeful we can get to the £25,000 target.”