This story was first published on 13 February. You can track Cameron's progress here. A Givealittle page has been established for donations.

The Wanaka Swim Club’s head coach Cameron Stanley is planning to take a crack at the current record for the fastest person to swim the length of Lake Wanaka.

The existing record of about 16 hours is held by Fi Fairbairn, who was the first person to successfully swim the length of the lake last year.

Related: Fabulous Fiona conquers Lake Wanaka

“There have been several other unsuccessful attempts, so the first priority will be to finish, and hopefully if he does he will be able to go faster than that time,” assistant coach Belinda Donaldson said. 

A challenge between Wanaka Lake Swimmers and Queenstown Lake Swimmers to collectively swim the perimeter of their respective lakes (Wanaka and Wakatipu) has meant Cameron has done a lot of lake swimming over the past few months and this has inspired the attempt at swimming the length of the lake, Belinda said.

Cameron has been training 40-50km per week since November last year, she said.

Incidentally, the Wanaka Lake Swimmers won the challenge and bragging rights in January this year.

While Cameron has never done an open water swim like this before, Belinda is hugely experienced, having swum the Cook Strait, the English Channel, and Foveaux Strait - “so I have given him a bit about what to expect,” she said. 

“We have also had advice and support from Roger North who has done a lot of swimming in Lake Wanaka and has had several attempts at swimming the length of the lake himself.”

At this stage, the swim is planned for next week, depending on the weather. The attempt will start in Makarora by the river mouth and will finish at the log cabin in central Wanaka.  

Over 10 swimmers have volunteered to swim alongside Cameron during his attempt and a number of club parents will provide on-the-water support with boats and kayaks.

The purpose of the challenge is to raise funds for the swim club, to contribute to travel expenses incurred by swimmers attending meets and for new equipment, as well as donations to local charities, such as Wanaka Search and Rescue and Wanaka Cat Rescue.

A Givealittle page has been established for donations and is in the process of being moderated/verified. 

PHOTO: Supplied