Veterinarian Brittany King Swims The English Channel To Raise Money For Animal Charity

Brittany King before the Channel swim. A veterinarian who studied at The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies at Edinburgh University successfully swam the English Channel on Tuesday 4th September. Brittany King, who graduated from Grenada’s St George’s University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2010, spent the last year of her studies in Edinburgh and attempted the ‘Everest of Swimming’ to raise money for the Banfield Charitable Trust, a charity that helps those facing veterinary emergencies in the USA. Dr King overcame 21 miles of open water not much warmer than 15°C in 13 hours, 48 minutes. Only 1,400 have ever completed the Channel swim; more than twice that amount have climbed Mount Everest. She praised St George’s University for supporting her passion for helping animals and swimming. “SGU is the best thing that ever happened to me,” Dr. King said. “It doesn’t matter what your dreams are – SGU supports them. SGU set me up for life and I’m more motivated with everything.” Brittany is no novice when it comes to endurance events; she has run five marathons, completed an Ironman triathlon, and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, all before, during, or after successfully navigating her way through veterinary school. “It’s just you and your body,” Brittany said of the event. “I have never done one single activity for that amount of time. If the tide’s wrong, you can be washed six miles south and swim much more than 22 miles. There are so many variable factors. I’m praying for the best. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I’ve put in the effort and the training.” In 2009 Brittany ran her third marathon in Scotland in aid of a friend and a multiple myeloma charity. Despite working full time at her local veterinary hospital in Cypress, Texas, Brittany has swum 25,000-30,000 metres and run 30-40 miles every week in training for her cross-Channel swim. When asked why she decided to swim the Channel she revealed that some of her fellow Ironman triathlon competitors challenged her to attempt the feat. But the real reason why is because of the pets she sees everyday in her work at a veterinary hospital. Brittany told the story of a young dog that had broken both of its femurs having been hit by a car. Surgery would have cost £1,000 but the Banfield Charitable Trust provided funds so that Dr King could perform the required surgery. “She recovered and came back to see me after a month of rehab”, Brittany recalled. “She came running to the back of the clinic on all four legs, as happy as can be!” Her athletic endeavors won’t end in France. In addition to the Channel swim, Dr. King is halfway to her pilot’s license, and she has designs on running two marathons in a 48-hour span in February – first in Peru, then in Antarctica. If successful, it would leave only Africa and Australia on her checklist of continents on which to run a marathon.

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