UK 3 Channel Challenge
The UK 3 Channel Challenge (UK3CC) is defined by successful completions of three historically significant channel swims in the United Kingdom:
- English Channel - 33 km (21 miles) between England and France.
- North Channel - between Northern Ireland and Scotland. Either the traditional Mull of Galloway route (34.5 km / 21.4 miles) or the Mull of Kintyre / Dal Riata Channel route (20.2 km / 12.5 miles) are eligible for the UK3CC.
- Bristol Channel between England and Wales. All historically established Bristol Channel routes are eligible for the UK3CC - but the distances will be noted. See below for details.
The UK3CC is was developed, independently and informally, by Kevin Murphy and Ted Keenan in the 1970s, and Stephen Price in the 1990s, and was formalized in 2018.
UK 3 Channel Challenge Swimmers (in order of completion)
| # | Name | Complete | English | North | Bristol | BC dist | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kevin Murphy | 
| 1971-07-14 | 1968-08-11 | 1970-09-01 | 1971-07-14 | 27 | |
| 2 | Ted Keenan |
| 1975-07-17 | 1972-08-14 | 1973-08-11 | 1975-07-17 | 27 | |
| 3 | Stephen Price |
| 2000-07-21 | 1987-08-18 | 2000-07-21 | 1991-09-28 | 41 | |
| 4 | Kamil Resa Alsaran |
| 2020-09-10 | 2012-09-04 | 2019-07-29 | 2020-09-10 | 22 | |
| 5 | Sian Clement | 
| 2022-07-10 | 2009-07-01 | 2022-07-10 | 2016-07-23 | 37 | |
| 6 | Elaine Burrows Dillane |
| 2022-07-21 | 2019-09-10 | 2021-07-21 | 2022-07-21 | 27 | |
| 7 | Martyn Webster |
| 2022-09-19 | 2016-08-25 | 2019-08-13 | 2022-09-19 | 26 | |
| 8 | Pat Gallant-Charette |
| 2022-09-19 | 2011-08-22 | 2016-08-24 | 2022-09-19 | 26 | |
| 9 | Fergal Somerville |
| 2022-09-21 | 2011-09-23 | 2013-06-16 | 2022-09-21 | 37 |
Eligible Bristol Channel Routes
The following historically established Bristol Channel routes are eligible for the UK3CC:
- Inner Channel:
- 16.1 km between Penarth (Wales) and Weston-super-Mare (England) - established by Kathleen Thomas in 1927.
- 21.1 km between Penarth (Wales) and Clevedon (England) - established by Stephen Price in 1991.
- Cross-channel swims that begin in Penarth, Weston-super-Mare, or Clevedon, but finish at a non-standard location on the opposite coast, are eligible for the UK3CC, but the actual straight-line distance will be noted.
- Mid-Channel:
- 27.3 km between Glenthorne Beach (England) and Porthcawl (Wales) - established by Kevin Murphy in 1971.
- Swims that begin at either Glenthorne or Porthcawl, but finish at a non-standard spot on the opposite coast, are eligible for the UK3CC, but the actual straight-line distance will be noted.
- Outer Channel:
- Minimum 37.7 km from Ilfracombe (England) to the Gower Peninsula (Wales) - established by Geth Jones in 2009.
- The opposite direction is eligible for the UK3CC, but has not yet been swum.