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Vero Wong Kai In

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I'm swimming the English Channel in June 2025 for mental health

When I broke my ankle in 2019 and was told that swimming would help with my rehabilitation, I never could have imagined that 6 years later I would be swimming the English Channel. 

But here I am, with 6 months before the big day in June 2025. I’ve been training for over a year with the help of my coaches, my swim team, and the support of my friends and family. 

And while swimming the English Channel would be challenge enough, I’ve set myself the goal to raise money for a cause that is very close to my heart: mental health. 

I’ve struggled with my mental health for over a decade, and swimming has been life changing, it’s given me a sense of purpose, a safe space to feel vulnerable, a space to meditate, a space to grow, a space to challenge myself mentally and physically. 

Having lost two very close people to me in quick succession back in September 2024, my own mental health took a dive, but every time I hit the pool, I was reminded that while it’s ok to take some time for yourself, it’s equally important to stimulate your mind so that you don’t get lost in the sadness. 

To raise awareness for mental health, I’ve been partnering up with ReachOut through Lapsforlife for the last 3 years. I’ve raised over $2,700 to date, and so in the year of the biggest swim of my life, I’d like to raise $10,000 for this cause. 

I hope you’ll support me by following along and donating to my fundraiser. 

I’ll be posting regular updates here and on my Swimming Instagram Account: @veroswims 

Love,

Vero

Please Help Me
Reach My Goal

Raised

$9,024

My Goal

$10,000

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My Updates

I'm officially an Australian Triple Crown Marathon Swimmer

Saturday 24th May
In the lead up to swimming the English Channel, I had originally set myself the goal of swimming 2 out of 3 of the swims that make up the Australian Triple Crown (Port to Pub's 25km to Rottnest Island and Palm to Shelly 24km Sydney's Northern beaches). You can read about those two in my post "My 2 biggest swims to date", but what I hadn't anticipated was completing the Triple Crown. 

Anyone training for cold water swims in Australia this last year will know that we've had an unseasonably HOT summer; it meant that the temperature in the water didn't come down to the desired sub 16º required to train adequately for a channel swim. 

To swim the English Channel you need to have a qualifying swim of 6 hours in sub 16º water. 

I had booked my qualifying swim in Melbourne for the Anzac long weekend, but two weeks out from the qualifier we were advised that the water temperature had still not dropped under 18º. 

I was stressed and facing the very real possibility of going into my English Channel swim without having ever swum in cold enough water. 

So, on the 24th of April, I pivoted hard. I called up my coach Vlad and told him I was going to try and swim the Derwent River. I cancelled my trip to Melbourne and I reached out to Sea Rescue Tasmania and secured a swim window for 10 May 2025. 

My parents accompanied me to Hobart on a Friday morning, my start time for the swim was scheduled at 3:30am Saturday morning. 

On Saturday morning, we were driven to New Norfolk by Paul who organises the swims and we met our pilot Joe. It was cold outside, the wind was chilly and I was informed that the water temperature was a shocking 12º. 
Internally, I was freaking out, but externally I tried to stay calm. I had been taking cold showers and doing cold plunges for the last 3 months. 

A fun fact about the Derwent River swim, most people will complete this swim in the months of December-March. The tidal assistance is not as strong outside of this window and the temperature of the water drops considerably.

I am the first ever person to attempt the Derwent River Swim in the month of May. 

As I got into the water at 3:18am, the initial shock wasn't so bad, but as I started swimming, I felt like crying, the thought of having to swim for up to 10 hours in water this cold was daunting. 

I told myself to just keep swimming until my next feed, and then the next one, I could see one of my hands exhibiting the initial signs of hypothermia, but I could still flex my hand so I just monitored it closely. My pilot and dad were extremely encouraging, they kept telling me that I was making really great time. Of course I had no clue what that meant, but positivity from your crew is so incredibly impactful. The kind of mind-over-matter thing you only think happens in movies. 

As the sun was starting to rise and the sky got brighter, the water still felt cold, but I was starting to see some scenery. As I kept swimming, Joe informed me that I was almost about to swim under the first bridge at Bridgewater. I can't tell you how exciting that was. Seeing the bridge get bigger and bigger and then all of a sudden I was underneath it. And that was the first time I could see just how fast I was moving. It felt like I was floating down a river on an inflatable donut. 

I was halfway through my 34km swim. It took me 4h25min to get halfway. 

I tried to do the mental maths to figure out how fast I was going, but cold and mental maths doesn't really go well together. It felt like it took 1 hour to figure out that I had been maintaining a 4.2km/hour pace thus far. 

At this point, the sky was well and truly bright, the water also felt so much warmer, I felt like it had increased by several degrees (that wasn't true though, the temperature had not increased), my feet had defrosted and so had my hand, I was no longer feeling the signs of hypothermia, and I just felt like I was flying through the swim. 

At one point the wind picked up, and the water got a little choppy but I persevered. 

Then all of a sudden, I could see it, the Tasman Bridge. It was right in front of me, and while the last kilometre to get there felt like an eternity, as I reached the bridge, I felt so incredibly proud of myself. My parents took a few pictures of me in the water, and as I got out, I asked how long it had taken me, because I thought I had slowed down at the end.

It took me 8h20min to swim the Derwent River. 

Of the three swims that make up the Australian Triple Crown, the 34km Derwent River was my fastest, coldest and longest distance swim to date. 

I am the first person to have attempted and completed the Derwent River in the month of May.

It took me 56 days to complete the Australian Triple Crown of Marathon Swimming. 

I now hold the second fastest time to complete the Aus Triple Crown. 

I am the 53rd person to have completed the Triple Crown.


Bring on the English Channel

My 2 biggest swims to date

Friday 18th Apr
In the lead-up to swimming the English Channel, I decided to swim 2 of 3 of the Australian Triple Crown of Ultra Marathon Swims. 

On 15 March I swam Port to Pub's 25km Ultramarathon (Fremantle to Rottnest Island) and one month later on 12 April I swam Palm2Shelly 26km Ultramarathon (Palm Beach to Shelly Beach Sydney). 

These two swims were a massive test of endurance, and in the lead up to the swims, while I was confident in my ability, there is always a small inkling of doubt. Can I swim the distance? Can I hack the currents, the jelly fish, the sharks, the wind and the swell? 

Well since I'm writing this after the swims, I can confidently say, that yes, I can endure.

But here's two challenges I faced and what they taught me. 

1 - Blue bottles are no joke. For my Port2Pub swim, I swam into dozens of blue bottles over the course of 10h. If you've ever been stung by one blue bottle you know just how painful their tentacles can be. They wrapped around my arms, neck, face and back. But a lesson I learnt was that I can suffer through it. I am mentally resilient enough to be able to swim through being stung constantly. And if that's not a testament to my mental strength, well I don't know what is. 

2 - I can fight a current and still have plenty of energy. During the Palm to Shelly swim, 2/3rds of the swimmers dropped out because we battled against currents for ages. But until my crew told me I was stuck and needed to push hard, I wasn't even aware I was in one. My shoulder began to hurt after getting out of the current, but I fought it, and I won, and I still had plenty in the tank to push the next 10km of the swim. Crosscurrents are notorious in the English Channel, so fighting this battle and winning is a massive achievement ahead of my biggest swim.

The one challenge I have not yet faced is the cold. While I have been ice-bathing for months, and exposing myself to the cold for ages, Australia has been inconveniently graced with the warmest weather. 

But I have my cold water qualifier to come and that will help me get one step closer to swimming the English Channel. 

So, I'm swimming the English Channel....

Thursday 9th Jan

The English Channel is known in the swimming world as the Mount Everest of swimming. 

But did you know, that you're more likely to know someone who has climbed Mount Everest than someone who has swum the English Channel? 

The English Channel is 34km at its narrowest section between Dover (UK) and Calais (France). 

Because of the strong crosscurrents, I'll end up swimming closer to 40km, and my crossing will most likely look like one of the S-shaped curves in the photo. If you were curious, swimming 34km is the equivalent of swimming 700 laps of a 50-meter pool… In one go. 

The temperature in the Channel is expected to be around 15º celsius and I will not be allowed to wear a wetsuit (for reference a pool usually sits at 25-27º celsius).

I will have a boat and pilot to navigate me across the channel, I’ll have three people onboard as part of my support crew. They’ll help feed me liquids (carb drinks, caffeine, Panadol, flat red bull etc) every 20-30 minutes, they’ll also monitor my alertness, fatigue, and pace. 

Now you may be wondering if I can rest or get out to use the toilet, well the answer to both of those is no. Once I start swimming, I am not allowed to touch the boat, meaning that if I need to go in the ocean, well, I need to go in the ocean. While I can rest by floating on my back, the currents are so strong that they can pull me off course in a matter of seconds. Therefore, my best bet is to just keep swimming. 

The window for my crossing is from the 16-22 June 2025 and there is every chance that I might swim through the night, through jellyfish, through the cold, and of course across the busiest shipping container channel. 

So how long will it take me? Well, it all depends on the conditions, but I'm hoping to swim it 13-16 hours straight! But I'll take whatever time.

Love,

Vero

But what does training for the English Channel look like?

Wednesday 8th Jan

Training for the English Channel is no easy feat. I have been training for over a year, but some swimmers will train for years before ever attempting to cross the Channel. 

I swim 5 days a week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday). During the week, I swim 1h30-2h before heading to work. I will swim between 3-5km per session. Then on a Saturday I will swim between 3-8hrs. In an average week, I might swim around 25-35km. Which means when Sunday rolls around, I’ve really earned that morning in bed. 

But swimming alone isn’t enough, recovery is also extremely important, I spend about 20minutes stretching everyday and I also make sure I get enough sleep. You may be wondering what time I go to bed if I somehow manage to swim before work, and the answer is that I’m asleep by 9pm and awake at 4:30am most days of the week. 

I know, I know, you’re now starting to think I must be crazy, but that’s why I also have regular appointments with a nutritionist, a physiotherapist, my swim coach, and my psychologist. 

Each person plays a critical role in ensuring that I am not only physically but mentally prepared for the swim. 

For me, the biggest challenge isn’t physical, but mental. You could be the fittest person in the world, but if every part of your body is screaming at you in pain, the only thing that will keep you going is your mind. And this is yet another reason why Mental Health is such an important part of the journey, and why I want to raise money to help others. 

Have a question you’d like me to cover? Please let me know! 

Vero x

Thank you to my Sponsors

$400

Ton Ton Pierre, Auntie Patricia, Karen And Stef

Way to go Vero! What an incredible challenge, we're sure you'll smash it! p.s. Please bring back some cheese and wine from Calais :D

$215

Frenchie And Rach

Very impressive Vero, Lane 6 legend!

$211

Kitty Ng

Thank you Vero, you are such a brave girl raising awareness on Mental Health. Stay safe.

$200

Matthew Irwin

$200

Troy Fletcher

Super Vero!! Watching you swim right now. Wanted to nudge you over $7500. So proud of you. Jess is about to cry for a 7th time. Gonna get her some salts to keep her alive.

$187.79

Angus Jeffrey

Best of luck Vero!

$108

Kaye And Chris Hansen

Go Veronique! Put Red Hill on the map!

$105.50

Migyur Samkhar

$105.50

Graham Bresnahan

Vero, you are the real Wonder Woman!

$105.50

Newage Recruitment

Good Luck! Such a Proud Moment for the Whole of Australia.

$105.50

Scarlett Gaffey (from Cruiz)

Go Vero!!! Keep up the training :)))

$105.50

S Lim

All the best, Vero. What an amazing and magnificent personal challenge!

$105.50

Jess Nguyen

I don't know if you can still see the long heart-felt msg I typed up. So in summary you inspire me and I'd do the AAWT again just to not swim the English Channel even with a year's prep. Keep going you awesome dolphin creature on land. Love ya!

$105.50

Donna Degen

$105.50

Ellen And Jurgen

Go Vero🙌

$105.50

Anonymous

$105.50

Ann Tran

I think you’re amazing! Keep training & doing your thing. You’re going to be great

$105.50

Gt

$105.50

Maya Aslimoska

You’re going to SMASH this!!! Xx

$105.50

Franco Rosin

$105.50

Brad Medland

All the best with the swim Vero.

$105.50

Fiona Dyer

Huge respect to you Vero for this swim. May the tides be in your favour!

$105.50

Jacques Ipyam And Family

Good luck Vero!

$105.50

Venica

You are awesome Vero🤩

$105.50

Andrew And Brigitte

Full of admiration for you undertaking such a massive challenge. All our best wishes for this awesome swim.

$105.50

Bernard, Nathalie, Nathan, Neil And Kelsie

Good luck Vero, all the way from Queensland! What you are doing is so admirable! You are amazing

$105.50

Virginia Mcleod

Look forward to hearing all about it at Jill’s. Good luck. You are amazing.

$105.50

Brian Weir

Yeehaw

$105.50

Kate

Legend! Goodluck with the swim. Stay safe.

$105.50

Erika Taduran

$105.50

James Ip

Incredibly proud and in awe of what you’re doing, Vero ! What an inspiration !

$105.50

Jacqueline & Charles

Fantastic swim congratulations

$100

Vero Wong

To kick start my fundraiser

$100

Tom Lawson

Super proud of you vero <3

$100

Louis Wong Kai In

So proud of you

$100

Y Eliopoulos

Swim wise legend!!

$100

Yushen Cui

$100

Em Kempson

Legend Vero!!! You got this - will be cheering from Canberra!

$100

Lane 7 Plodder

Just another marathon swim for you to tick off! You’re an inspiration Vero

$100

Francois Kong

Vero, good luck with your immediate and future endeavours!

$100

Bo Wang

You're doing amazing! Keep shining!

$100

Alice Patfong

Congratulations on your great accomplishment!

$100

Anonymous

$92.84

Anonymous

$79.13

Ppg

Wishing all the best for the swim

$79.13

Fiona Cruise

$79.13

Peter H

Go Vero!

$79.13

Anonymous

It’s Friyay!!! Go well Vero. You’re giving us joy with your achievements.

$73.85

Jeannette Marshall

$52.75

Emma Shaw

$52.75

Michael Davidson

You are a legend.

$52.75

Ariane

Go Vero! Rule the waves and rule Britannia! Faor winds and nice tides :)

$52.75

Channelle Fitzgerald

Legend xx

$52.75

Cathy Arley

Swim strong, stay safe

$52.75

Madeleine Hickey

I can't imagine swimming for 13 hours - you're a wonder!

$52.75

Esther Yang

I am inspired by you Vero! Keep it up.

$52.75

Amie

Good luck, stay safe!

$52.75

Kacia

Congrats Vero and good luck! You're gonna smash it!!

$52.75

Tom Dowling

Hey Vero This is a fantastic challenge and very worthwhile cause. We'll be watching it all the way. Wishing you all the best. Tom

$52.75

Jules

"Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming..."

$52.75

Lizzie Dodd

You’re an absolute inspiration Vero! A mammoth effort for such an important cause!

$52.75

Nikki Monks

Yes Vero! You're incredible!

$52.75

Sam Callinan

Good luck Vero! You've got this.

$52.75

Richard Pery

I'm so awed by the challenge you've set yourself, Vero! Truly inspiring stuff to follow a dream like this, whatever comes of it. Best of luck!

$52.75

Andrew Jackson

Wow! This is amazing!

$52.75

Anna Marzano

Best Wishes Vero. What a wonderful cause. You are amazing!

$52.75

Julie D

You go, girl!

$52.75

Isabelle Boisseau

$52.75

Andrew Hutt

The Mount Everest of swimming. Wow, what a goal for a very important cause. Best I grab your autograph now :) because with your discipline, training regime and determination, you'll make it. I wish you the very best Vero.

$52.75

Dom B

All the best Vero. Amazing effort.

$52.75

Kelsey Hatzi

$52.75

Steve Yates

Go get’em girl!!!

$52.75

Old Rob Mullet Narooma

Great effort

$52.75

Anonymous

What an epic challenge, boss lady stuff! Truly crazy but also wildy awesome. Best of luck! This from a stranger in Sydney discovering your insta and being inspired to keep pushing! Hope it is everything you hope for and more. Your strength and resilience are amazing. Have fun!

$52.75

Lisa L'estrange

$52.75

James Mawson

$52.75

Maddie Miles

Best of luck gorgeous girl! You're going to do an amazing job. I can't wait to hear about how you smashed it! I'll be thinking of you! <3

$52.75

Jill Pettifer

Never give up!

$52.75

Graham Bresnahan

Good Luck for the swim Vero

$52.75

Millie Chan

So impressed with you! Go Vera!!

$52.75

Rebecca Mcallister

Thanks so much for sharing your swimmimg journey. My daughter and I have been inspired by you.

$52.75

Silvie Elliot

I'm so proud of everything you've achieved Vero! You're making history ❤️

$52.75

R Sumudi Epasinghe

Go Vero!

$52.75

Tash Pitigala

I’m so incredibly proud of you!!! 🎉🥳

$52.75

Jeremy Guthrie

Inspirational stuff Vero, you are a legend.

$52.75

Anonymous

$52.75

Brigitte & Jean-marie

Vero, you are amazing.

$52.75

Anonymous

All the very best Vero, wishing you a safe and successful swim

$52.75

Winni Do

$50

Ben Hockin

Legend - good luck!

$50

Denis Cairney

Good luck!

$50

Trieu Pham

Let's go Vero! So proud of you xx

$50

Jacqui

Vero - you are incredibly inspirational! So impressed by all your hard work and dedication! Wishing you all the best for the rest of your training. And of course a HUGE good luck and well-wishes for the big event - not long now

$50

Cathie Jacobs

$33

Jez

You’re so incredible!! Keen to keep cheering you on.

$31.65

Spencer Crome

This is amazing Vero - all the best!

$31.65

Philippa Evans

Congratulations on this fantastic achievement - and for such a worthy cause! 🙂

$26.38

Nl

Congrats on your swim Vero - looking forward to hearing more about it on a HGW!

$26.38

Rob

Huge congrats, a great cause and an unbelievable challenge.

$26.38

Euan M

You’re a star

$26.38

Siobhan H

Rooting for you Vero! XX

$26.38

Mel L

GO GIRL! Such a worthy cause. Your dedication is truly inspiring. You should be so proud of your accomplishment to date and we all can't wait to see you achieve your dream.

$26.38

Sam Rees

You are amazing Vero. Can't wait to follow your progress.

$26.38

Mariam Ingle

Hi Vero, Wishing you all the best and happy for you. Thanks Mariam

$26.38

A Gaffney

Woohoo, go you legend!! So impressed!

$26.38

Kylie-ree Dean

You're such a champion Vero. sending warm vibes from your colleague in FND.

$26.38

Kate

All the best to you for your big swim Vero!! I started following you just before your Port to Pub swim and I'm totally inspired by you. Sending you fast fish vibes for the Channel!

$26.38

Jackie Collins

$26.38

Nicholas Dallas

A good thing that you are doing. Good luck!

$26.38

Margaret Goydych

$26.38

Neng Purnamawati

All the best Vero. An amazing effort!

$26.38

Anonymous

$26.38

Anonymous

$26.38

Jn

$26.38

Julie Gledhill

$26.38

Mathilde Hambye

So proud and inspired by your dedication and determination! Goo my little egg

$26.38

Anonymous

What an amazing achievement! Thank you for sharing your journey and love of swimming with us

$25

Andrew Fitchett

Congratulations

$25

Kriti

$25

Milly

$25

Jb

Go for it Vero!

$25

Liam Cash

You got this Vero!

$25

Jane Dowd

Good luck Vero, this is such a big achievement and important cause! You are incredible.

$25

Christie W

What an amazing thing to do and for such a great cause - go Vero!

$25

Saraniya

Best wishes! Keep going!

$25

Christina L

You are truly a champion, Vero! All the best. We are cheering for you from FND :)

$21.10

Anonymous

$21.10

Ellen Thompson

Amazing Vero!

$15

David Jory

Good on you, Vero

$15

Antoine Amitrano