Lauren Elder

On August 30th this year, I am planning to swim from Europe to Asia in the Hellespont/Dardanelles swim in Turkey. I'm raising funds for cancer research and dedicating this swim to Michelle Cooper, a very special person who we lost to cancer less than 12 months ago.

This historic body of water is known as the Hellespont in Greek, the Dardanelles in Turkish history, and the Strait of Canakkale in modern times. It’s said to be the world’s oldest ocean swim with the famous poet Lord Byron successfully completing the crossing in 1810.  

Byron was said to have been inspired by the ancient Greek myth of the story of Hero and Leander: two lovers who lived on opposite sides of the strait. It’s said that each night Leander would swim the Hellespont to be with his lover, guided by a lamp held by Hero and then swim back in the morning. One night the wild weather extinguished Hero’s lamp and Leander struggled in the choppy dark waves and drowned in rough seas.

Thankfully I’ll be swimming in the daytime so no need for a lamp to follow. The Strait is a busy shipping channel that’s known for very strong currents and choppy conditions and my training has begun and will run through winter to make sure I’m ready for the conditions. The channel will be closed to shipping traffic for two hours to allow the 600 swimmers from across the globe to attempt the crossing. It’s about 4.5km of swimming if conditions are favourable, I’m hoping to use the currents to my advantage. 

Your support in raising funds for cancer research and prevention with the Can Too Foundation is very appreciated.  1 in 3 women and 1 in 2 men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. These statistics need to change!

I’ve supported Can Too for the last few years both raising funds and as a volunteer mentor. Can Too raises valuable funds that go towards innovation in the prevention, care and control of cancer. Since 2005, Can Too Foundation have raised over $25 million to invest in over 200 one-year cancer research grants.

It would be fantastic if you will sponsor me, thank you for your support!