Izzy Weatherall, a 23-year-old entrepreneur and CEO of Support Small UK, has accomplished the
extraordinary and unique feat of swimming Loch Ness. With no break after the incredible feat of
swimming the English Channel in 2024, Izzy got straight back to training and chose Loch Ness to be
her next ultramarathon swimming adventure just a year later.
Once ratified, Izzy will be less than one of 50 to have officially crossed the treacherous waters in a
time of 13hours 18minutes. Training in open water since the age of 12 years old, it has been a
gruelling journey to reach this achievement and to add another extreme swim onto Izzy’s list!
Izzy tells the story of her Loch Ness Adventures:
Just before sunrise at 5:30am, accompanied by a cold breeze, we headed down to the jetty to meet
the boat crew. Jumped on board and quickly started getting prepared! I was so nervous for this swim,
the water was very dark and had a cold chill to it at that time in the morning. Leon, from Swim your
swim was at the helm with his brilliant crew, and as soon as it became light enough, it was time to
get going, climbing down the steps of the boat and slowly getting myself acclimatised I felt the
familiar nerves set in, knowing it was going to be a tough day ahead! I said goodbye to my supporters
and headed off into the Loch… We had the wind behind us, which was reassuring, and I thought that
it would make the swim a lot quicker. What I underestimated was how much the wind would
influence the chop – it was comfortable at first, and it does make the swim more interesting, but it
worsened by the hour. As the sun began to rise, I savoured every bit of warmth I could feel on my
back and was getting into a comfortable rhythm. It quickly came round to my first feed; I had my
whiteboard ready telling me how far I’d gone and my string contraption to get food and drink into
the water to me safely. I had a feed each hour, and I was making brilliant progress swimming at over
3km/h. After crossing the halfway buoy, the water turned very choppy. Tourist boats pulled
alongside, and their cheers gave me such a lift. To my amusement, they even stayed to watch me
take my feed.
We then headed past the castle and towards the end of the Loch… at this point not being sure I
would be able to finish due to the choppiness of the water but kept going and messages came
through on the board from supporters too. After what felt like an endless final stretch, I finally
reached the beach. Thirteen hours and eighteen minutes later, I had swum the legendary Loch Ness.
People ask me how it compares to the Channel and it’s a tough question, the Channel will always be
something that tested me and pushed my body to the limits. Knowing I could swim the distance,
Loch Ness was still going to be a challenge, but I had proof I could do it which makes all the
difference. Every ultramarathon swim brings its own trials. In Loch Ness, it was the sheer choppiness,
a constant battering that took a greater toll on me than even the English Channel. Mentally, there’s always going to be times throughout the 13Hours where you’re going to struggle but that’s what makes it such a special challenge.
The reason I did this swim was to raise money in memory of my lovely Nan & Grandad for St
Michaels Hospice, currently standing at £1000. And without such incredible support, I couldn’t have
achieved this… A huge thank you to everyone who supported this challenge, I would like to thank my
fabulous sponsors Dr Monika Gostic Nutrition and Glos Info who made this all possible. And of
course my cheerleaders who are always there experiencing these challenges with me in some way,
it’s a lot of pressure for them too!
The big question… Did I see Nessie? If Nessie was there, she kept herself hidden which is a shame
really, I could’ve used a lift.
