'Sewage, spilled pasta and fight for change'

When I started out in open water swimming, I was more concerned about sharks than sewage.

I was a novice to the issues of pollution. It is not the norm for humans to think about it.

But, as I prepared for the lake equivalent of the 'three peaks challenge' earlier this year, it was clear I had to take the risks from pollution into account.

According to figures from the Environment Agency, raw sewage was spilled by water companies into England's rivers and seas for a record 3.6 million hours in 2024.

And concerns about water quality impacting sporting events have also been widely reported, such as postponements and illness at the Paris Olympics and concerns before the boat race.

I took Pepto-Bismol and precautionary antibiotics to try and ward off E.coli or bacteria, and also used the extensive health and safety protocol from the Team GB doctor at the Olympics.

For the challenge, I swam alongside boats that were kitted out with a sensor that measured water quality in real time.

I met the chief executive of the water sensor company a few weeks later, who showed me the results and said it was remarkable how filthy these lakes are, not just from sewage but from other polluting sources like agriculture run-off too.

He said if it had been any other swimmer or kids in it, they would have become very ill, and the only reason I didn't was because of my immunity from swimming in these conditions around the world.

Mentally, it can be difficult knowing you are going into these waters, but at the moment it is just part of the sport, and that is why I am using my platform to try and change that.

I was recognised at the BBC Green Sport Awards last year and was able to present athlete of the year Imogen Grant with her award on stage.

That left me inspired to take it to the next level. To see what I could do to amplify my messaging, raise more money, push the sustainable message that comes with my sport of open water swimming.

The challenge was to swim the three largest lakes in the UK - Loch Lomond, Lake Windermere, Llyn Tegid - and to try to do it all in 24 hours. It had not been done before so I just took it from there.

The total distance of the challenge was 55km (34 miles) and it would be the longest swim of my career so far.

It began at the biggest of the lakes - Loch Lomond - at midnight.

I had never done night swimming before, so that was daunting and I needed to plan for that.

Loch Lomond is also probably one of the darkest lochs in the world. It is 400-500m deep and it is like you are just staring into an enormous black hole. It is scary and nothing could really prepare me for that.

That leg of the challenge was tough, it was brutal - 14 degree waters, nearly eight hours of exposure, cold air temperature.

But I broke the timing record for that loch, and I jumped in the car and thought the hardest part of the challenge was done.

Once I had got the biggest one out of the way, it would feel like I was coming back down the mountain - but it very much did not feel like that.

I was now sleep deprived, knackered, frustrated, and probably a little bit delirious. I started refuelling because I had burned around 7,000 calories, but I have never been that tired before in my life and fell asleep, dropping the pasta all over me.

That was probably the toughest moment. Waking up covered in pasta and asking my dad how long until Windermere, only to find out it was 20 minutes away and I didn't even feel like I had had more than five minutes break.

My forearms were completely swollen but the competitive nature in me wanted to see it through.

Thank goodness Bala Lake was a small one because I don't think I could have taken much more.

It was amazing and inspiring to have so many people there at the finish line, but I was also just happy to know that I was going to be in my bed in a few hours.

Surfers Against Sewage - a UK charity that campaigns for cleaner oceans, lakes and rivers - who I raised money for, were amazing. They were a support throughout the build-up and the day and I have made genuine friends through them now.

In open water, we swim as a pack.

Because when you swim together the current is stronger, and I think the same applies to the environment. When we are working together, we are advocating and pushing a message for a cleaner environment and a cleaner world.

We are stronger, we are united and I think we are all swimming the same course here.

Everyone can help by just talking about it, raising the issue and applying pressure. Sometimes it feels like we are fighting an uphill battle, but we are coming together, the community is taking a stand - we are fighting.

In July, the environment minister pledged the number of times sewage is discharged by water companies will be halved by 2030, so the issue is being acknowledged.

There are so many individuals, not just myself, who are doing remarkable things out there, like these kinds of challenges, to bring attention to it.

My YouTube documentary from the challenge, external has already had more than 175,000 views, which has shown me how strong doing something like this can be. It can really amplify the issues of pollution in UK waterways.

Already I am looking ahead to what I can do next year. What is the next one that I can do to amplify the message even more?

Hector was speaking to BBC Sport's Nicola Pearson