Ross Edgley has completed his latest endurance challenge: over four months, the ultramarathon swimmer has circumnavigated Iceland. Starting in Reykjavík on May 17, Edgley swam clockwise around Iceland’s coastline, finally emerging back on Nauthólsvík Beach on September 8. In total, he swam 1,610km.
He completed the swim in a wetsuit and neoprene accessories to help him cope with the unrelenting cold. “Unlike unassisted marathon swimming — with its strict rules of no wetsuits, no breaks, and minimal support — extreme adventure swims embrace stage formats, protective gear, and creative challenges that push the frontier of exploration. Ross Edgley has been a pioneer of this movement,” The World Open Water Swimming Association (WOWSA) wrote.
Weather a constant problem
Each day, Edgley covered up to 30km, generally sticking to a schedule of six hours swimming and then six hours resting on his support boat. At some points, storms forced him out of the water for days at a time. In the week before finishing, he had to pause for a few days because of a hurricane off the coast of Iceland.
Before starting the swim, Edgley and his team knew that weather conditions would be a constant issue. They arranged visas so that they could stay in Iceland over the allotted 90 days. In total, it took Edgely 114 days to complete.
“It has been the toughest and most ambitious challenge I have attempted yet. Iceland provided an incredible opportunity to test my physical and mental limits. The country has provided some insane experiences I will never forget,” Edgely told Sky News.
A satellite image showing Edgley’s route. Image: Zero Six Zero
Carb loading
The water was usually between 3°C and 5°C, and almost always choppy. Distance swimming combined with the cold meant Edgley had to consume between 10,000 and 15,000 calories a day. Pasta and Icelandic liquorice were staples of his survival menu. Whilst in the water, he tried to take in 120g of carbohydrates every hour, even if he was not hungry. This helped him stay in a “perpetual state of carb loading.”
He prepared his body for the cold before the swim started. “I ended up putting on about 10-15kg of pure fat. A bit of muscle as well, but a lot of fat. When you look at what sort of animals survive in Iceland, there’s the idea of sea blubber. You want insulation, you want body fat.”
Photo: Ross Edgley
As with his other long ocean swims, the saltwater wreaked havoc on his tongue. It was often swollen and, eventually, parts of it started to fall off because of the constant exposure. Aside from the issues with his tongue, he suffered from extreme wetsuit chafing and said his body took a “consistent battering…you just do your best to keep it in some sort of shape, controlling the inevitable breakdown of your body, hoping that you get back into Reykjavik.”
A full land and water support team accompanied him throughout the swim, providing shelter, nutrition, medical support, and logistical coordination. Though he has been solo swimming, it has by no means been a solo effort. Before starting, the team spent months together preparing. In the days leading up to the swim, they spent much of their time practising various safety scenarios, for example, how they would get Edgely back in the boat in dangerous scenarios.
An ocean survey
Edgley also teamed up with researchers to gather environmental DNA samples, gauge microplastic pollution, and conduct the first-ever e-DNA study around Iceland’s entire coastline as part of an EU project called Bioprotect. “Swimming day in and day out gave us a unique perspective on the ocean. It was a privilege to support real-time research that could aid future conservation efforts,” Edgley said.
The idea for the swim first came from chatting with actor Chris Hemsworth. They decided that swimming around Iceland would be the closest you could get to swimming around Asgard, the home of Thor (the character played by Hemsworth in multiple Marvel films). That was all Edgely needed to start planning, and Hemsworth has been following the swim closely.
“Ross breaks the mould and redefines endurance sport and adventure. He’s what happens when tough and crazy collide. This wasn’t just a swim, it was an epic saga that now takes its rightful place in Icelandic folklore,” Hemsworth commented.
Edgely is no stranger to extreme, and sometimes slightly bizarre, swim challenges. In 2018, he swam 3,000km around mainland Great Britain. In 2024, he completed a stage swim down the Yukon River, and he has also swum across the Caribbean Sea while towing a 100lb log. Now, WOWSA is reviewing his Iceland swim, evaluating GPS tracks, observer logs, and photographic/video evidence, to formally ratify Edgley’s journey as the first documented assisted stage swim around Iceland.
