2 Pinoys become first Asians to complete Robben Island Channel crossing

Betsy Medalla and Julian Valencia emerged this morning from icy waters in the Cape Town suburb of Bloubergstrand to become the first Filipinos—and first Asians—to complete the Robben Island Channel crossing.

The event, entitled “A Rainbow of Hope: A Celebration of Philippines – South African Friendship,” was organized by businessman and philanthropist Consul (a.h.) of Georgia in the Philippines Buddy Cunanan, in cooperation with the Cape Long Distance Swimming Association (CLDSA), which supervises and certifies all Robben Island swims.

The swim was done to commemorate the life of the late Nelson Mandela, to thank South Africans for their outpouring of support for Filipinos after Typhoon Yolanda, and to raise money for the survivors of the calamity.

Medalla and Valencia swam from Robben Island, where Mandela was jailed for 18 years. Braving the threat of great white sharks, poisonous jellyfish, and water temperatures that went down as low as 11 degrees, the pair completed the trial without any cage or protection clothing and wore only standard, regulation swimming attire.

Furthermore, as per the rules of the CLDSA, they had to swim from Robben Island and make it unassisted to the shore of Bloubergstrand, at least one meter from the waves, to be recognized as an official swim and to be placed in the record books.

Initially, the pair was supposed to swim 7.2 kilometers. However, they ended up covering a slightly longer distance of 8.6 kilometers as the captains of their guide boats had to change course to avoid rough ocean swells and perilous rocks.

The pair began their swim just after 8 a.m., with Medalla eventually completing it in 2 hours and 34 minutes, followed by Valencia who made it in 2 hours and 52 minutes.

Because Medalla and Valencia swam at different paces, they had one guide boat each, with a skipper, rescue swimmer, and a personal swim assistant.

Rapturous welcome

Upon reaching the shore, both swimmers were met by an ecstatic crowd that included their support group from the “First Filipino Robben Island Swim Team” and members of the local Filipino community composed mainly of members of the Pastor Clan, whose patriarch Severo Pastor fled the Philippines to avoid persecution by Spanish colonial authorities and came to Cape Town in 1867.

The “Cape Filipinos,” as they call themselves, came in droves, wildly applauded and cheered, and immediately rushed to the beach to embrace the arriving swimmers.

“Thank you very much Betsy and Julian for doing this. We feel especially proud and happy to reconnect with our country of origin and at the same time to celebrate its ties to our mother country South Africa,” said Claire Prins, a 2nd generation Cape Filipino.

Two Cape Filipino volunteers—Sean le Roux and Ricardo Pastor—were also aboard the guide boats, encouraging Medalla and Valencia all the way and assisting them with their rehydration. Two days before, the Cape Filipinos also held a welcome party for the swimmers to introduce them to the community.

Near hypothermia

Both swimmers reached the shore pale, exhausted, and shivering intensely. However, Valencia was visibly more affected by the cold than Medalla and was clearly suffering from near hypothermia, muscle cramps, and spasms.

Unable to walk properly, Valencia was assisted by officials of the CLDSA, who immediately brought him to the Big Bay Lifesaving Club, where he was covered in warm towels and blankets and several hot water bottles.

Cunanan and members of the Cape Filipino community took turns embracing Valencia to give him bodily warmth in order to stop him from shaking. It took over 45 minutes before Valencia could speak audibly or drink water or be fit enough to take a warm shower.

“Because of the cold, this swim was the most difficult physical challenge I have ever done. We are used to distance swimming in the Philippines but the cold of the Atlantic Ocean definitely made it challenging,” said Medalla. “We had to keep moving to keep our bodies heated.”

Both swimmers spoke of the tremendous mental difficulty of the swim, particularly in the last kilometer when they were most exhausted and when the temperature abruptly dropped from 15 degrees to 11 degrees. Furthermore, this was not only the pair’s coldest open water swim but also the longest at 8.6 kilometers.

“This was the hardest thing I have ever done. I would take any Iron Man challenge any day of the week over this,” said Valencia, after recovering.

“There were several times when the strain of the cold water was nearly unbearable, especially at the tail-end of the swim, and I questioned whether I could go still on. But it was the thought of all those supporting me back home and the people who were waiting for me on the shore that sustained me,” he added.

“Definitely, the mental aspect of this was extremely difficult. I said five rosaries during the swim and this gave me strength. The last part was the most difficult when we could see the shore but had to deal with the temperature that dropped drastically. This was when our mental toughness was tested,” said Medalla.
“I would be lying if I said that the thought of quitting didn’t cross my mind,” he added.

However, despite the great physical and mental hardships they were enduring during the swim, Medalla and Valencia kept on and never backed down. Members of their crew had nothing but deep respect and admiration for their Filipino charges.

“I am so impressed with Betsy,” said Medalla’s rehydration assistant, Cape Filipino Sean le Roux. “She is such a powerful swimmer. From the start, she was like a demon in the water. She just got in there and swam and swam and swam like a machine. What a woman.”

For his part, Valencia’s assistant, Ricardo Pastor, another Cape Filipino, was all praises for Valencia, whom he later helped recover from hypothermia.

“Tremendous respect must be shown this man for what he accomplished. We knew he was battling the last kilometer when his strokes became slower and his form more erratic. But never once did he give us any sign that he was giving up,” said Pastor. “I kept asking him if he was okay and every time it was a thumbs-up!”

Reactions

The swimmers were also flooded with words of praise from friends, supporters, well-wishers, and bystanders at the beach and at a small victory ceremony which was later held at the Big Bay Lifesaving Club, where bottles of champagne were opened and commemorative coffee mugs were given out.

“We are so proud of Betsy and Julian. In behalf of the Cape Filipinos whose forefathers first arrived on these shores almost 150 years ago, we wish to extend our heartfelt congratulation to these swimmers for a job very well done,” said Ken Eckardt of the prominent Pastor Clan, which traces its roots to Palompon, Leyte.

“This was a fantastic achievement because of the history of the island, the cold water challenge, and the people who support them. It’s not a one-person thing. It’s a team effort. What makes it even more remarkable is that they have never done any cold water swimming,” said Tony Sellmeyer, CLDSA Technical Coach.

“It takes a different type of human being to do this. And to think that they have never done any cold water swimming only makes the accomplishment greater,” said Quintus Visser, who made the long trip to Bloubergstrand after hearing news of the swim on television.

Training and preparation

Because Medalla, 44, and Valencia, 40, both accomplished tri-athletes, had never done any extreme cold water swimming, measures had to be taken to get their bodies used to the icy temperature of the South Atlantic.

Prior to their departure for South Africa, they trained for several days in Baguio City’s unheated Athletic Bowl swimming pool, where the water temperature at 12 degrees approximated conditions in the Atlantic Ocean.

The pair continued their acclimatization in Cape Town, doing extensive roadwork and doing swimming for one hour twice-a-day off Clifton’s 4th Beach, under the supervision of the CLDSA and the Clifton Lifesaving Club, led by master lifeguard Peter Cullen.

Medalla and Valencia also placed themselves on high-protein, high-carbohydrate diet and stayed away from caffeine and alcohol, in anticipation of the physical demands gruelling challenge ahead.

Over 400 people—mostly South Africans—have completed the channel crossing since 1909. Of the number of attempts by foreigners, only 16% have been successful. The Robben Island swim team was supported by Qatar Airways, Rhenus Logistics, Tyr Endurance Sports, PSI, and the E.T. Dizon Travel Corporation.

“Filipino First” Movement

“This is a great day for Filipinos. With this swim, we have proven that Filipinos are equal to any task and can achieve anything,” Cunanan announced to South African press. “With this historic accomplishment, it thus gives me immense joy to announce the official launch of the ‘Filipino First’ movement.”

Cunanan said his group, which includes tourism practitioner and media specialist Melissa Dizon, will push for record-breaking achievements by Filipinos all over the world and is already organizing the first Filipino swim across the Straits of Gibraltar in July this year and the first Filipino solo flight across the Atlantic in 2015.

His group will not only focus on athletics and physical challenges, however, but will also spearhead historic achievements by Filipinos in other fields, including business, sciences, and the arts.

Cunanan is calling on Philippine companies and cause-oriented groups to support his initiative.

“We will show the world that we Filipinos can accomplish anything if we put our minds to it and come together as one people,” he said. “It is time to bring the pride back. We are a great people and a great nation. We are no longer the sick man of Asia. Our time has come.” — KBK, GMA News