Beyond The Numbers - The Real "Why" Behind 24h Guinness WR Attempt

1996 — Slovakia. A cold, dark, communist-era pool. Uninviting, but familiar. A team of nine elite swimmers and me, 17 years old. I remember feeling the weakest of them all. The goal: to swim more than 100 km in 24 hours. Not for the world record, just for fun. My job: 1km freestyle as fast as I could, again and again—at least ten times through day and night. My lungs and limbs on fire. Exhaustion pressed in. I shivered through the hours and barely remember the morning—but what stayed throughout the years was the deep sense of satisfaction - we didn't give up and we did it together.

2025 — Australia. A state-of-the-art pool at a private club in the heart of Sydney. Much has changed, and much has not. I’m older—but I feel stronger, wiser, more determined than ever before and still in love with the water. But the WHY has changed.

That 24h challenge years ago taught me early lessons about teamwork and resilience. We were young guns powered by adrenaline and ego with nothing to lose and everything to gain. This time, I’m bringing together a team of experienced freedivers. That part isn’t easy. Most freedivers—me included—are solitary creatures, happy to slip into our own quiet, liquid world. We’re not natural team players. That’s exactly WHY this matters.

No longer a teenager, but a mum of three—soon-to-be teenagers—I want my kids to see that anything is possible and that it’s always the right time to chase your dreams. Don't let society tell you what you can and cannot do. 

Our goal is 60 km+ underwater No Fins—that’s more than 2,400 × 25 m laps, with nine freedivers—always one under the water—moving continuously, day and night. It sounds a little crazy, I know. I love crazy. I love the challenge. I believe that when we stop challenging ourselves, we don’t stay still—we slide backwards. What’s different now isn’t just the discipline; it’s the approach.

Back then I pushed through. Now I surrender—trusting technique, timing, and my body’s deep knowing refined by millions of laps. No Fins strips everything back. No gear. No sound. Just you, your thoughts, and your movement. Soft power first; strength after.

A 24-hour relay asks for trust—in your technique, in your body, in the person taking the next lap at 3 a.m. It asks for community—judges, witnesses, cameras, safety, logistics, hot tea, quiet encouragement, camaraderie. It asks for clarity—everyone knowing their role and doing it well. We’re also raising funds for Rainbow Club, so more kids with disabilities can access the healing power of water. To me, that’s the real meaning behind another Guinness attempt: we dance on the edge of what’s possible, and we’re doing it together.

"For me, it's about permission. Permission to explore my edge, no matter my age. Permission to be part of something larger than my personal best. The numbers will matter to the record keepers, the process is what will matter to us."

I say to that teenage girl today: You don’t need to push yourself through extreme challenges to prove your worth. Just promise you’ll keep exploring—and keep learning from the water.

And to the women who think it’s too late, or too busy, or too hard: let “busy” be the reason to start, not the excuse to stop.

"Remember who you are, and honour your beautiful body, which has done so much for you and still longs to live life to the fullest."

Life keeps reminding me: at the edge between comfort and discomfort we learn who we are—and feel most alive. When was the last time you felt it? Maybe we can find it together...?

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