Channel Swim 10 Sep 1985 – UN 40th Anniv. Interview in “Oneness-World Harbingers” Australian Pub - Historical Repository for Sri Chinmoy: The Peace Meditation at the United Nations

Channel Swim 10 Sep 1985 – UN 40th Anniv. Interview in “Oneness-World Harbingers” Australian Pub

Filed under 2 or more | Sport & Athletics | UN Anniversaries

Impossibility Challenger

Excerpt from the Adelaide, Australia Publication:

Runners: Oneness World Harbingers, Jun – Jul 1986

Interview with Adhiratha Keefe a UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF ) Staff member

and regular participant in the Peace Meditations at the United Nations.

Adhiratha. Chief of Records Management for UNICEF, crossed the Channel between England and France in 14 hours and 51 minutes on September 10, 1985. His ten-year ultra-sport career has taken him through 10 marathons, 4 ultramarathons and 4, 24-hour cycling races. Six foot. six inches and weighing 210 pounds. Adhiratha’s best marathon time is 3 hours 27 minutes.

He took up the challenge of swimming the Channel four and a half months prior to successes.

ak entering water with geese on

Adhiratha Keefe heads 0ff to France

Questions:

What were the conditions like for you in this ordeal?
hardest and the easiest part of the swim?
What Is your background in endurance events for this event, such as swimming and running?
Do running and swimming complement each other?
Were there any secrets that aided you in this event?
About your diet – what was your preparation before the event, and what did you eat and drink during the event?
Did you have any spiritual experiences during the event?
What do you recommend for someone who wants to swim the Channel?
What Is your next challenge?

(other questions which appeared in “Oneness-Heart” 1986 Newsletter also included at end of this article)

Adhiratha: First of all, for me, the water was very cold. I had been training in 74°F water for about a month beforehand. Starting in April I trained in some 50°+F water, but in the northeastern part of the United States the water gets warmer as the summer goes on. There was nothing I could do except overtrain the distance since there wasn’t any place where I could swim in cold water. But I did go to Dover ten days early. The first day I could only stay in an hour, the next day I stayed in 4 1/2 hours and the following day, 7 hours. From there I had to taper down.

So I was becoming acclimatized to the water before the event. but it still was cold for me. I trained without grease and a cap, but then on the day of the event, I did use grease and a cap. I believe the temperature that day was in the upper 50’sF. I didn’t check because I basically didn’t want to know while I was doing it When I receive a copy of the report from the Observer* all that information will be given. The weather I had was excellent They had been waiting for that sort of weather all summer long. I was told that they usually have had a hundred challengers in the last few years, but this year they had only 33 and 18 of those went on the two days when Vasanti and I tried. There were 10 on her day, and I believe 6 or 8 on mine.

*The Observer refers to the the official Chanel Swimming organisation which monitors and verifies all Channel crossing attempts.

What was the hardest and the easiest part of the swim?

Adhiratha: The hardest part of the swim for me came at 6 hours, and that’s when I realised that I might have three times the distance, time wise, to go and maybe more, and that I was very’ cold and my mind said “if I get three times this cold I don’t think I will be able to make it” That was the hardest part – to just keep going. The easiest part was finishing. Once I touched the bottom and I was going to the shore, knowing that I was going to make it was the most important thing.

What Is your background in endurance events for this event, such as swimming and running?

Adhiratha: Well I have done about 10 marathons since 1977 and four ultra-marathons of up to 50 miles. Also I have done three or four long distance bicycle races, doing as much as 315 miles in one day. With regard to swimming. a few years ago I swam 10 kilometers, and participated in two triathlons with the maximum distance. I believe, of a mile and a half. Before doing the Channel I did a training event that Sri Chinmoy asked us to do in preparation for the Channel swim and that was a 13- mile swim and an 18-mile swim. By the end of May I was able to do a 13-mile swim. At the end of June I attempted an 18-mile swim in the cold water, and of the people who tried, I got the furthest: but it was only 6 miles. Two weeks later we tried it in warmer water and I was able (as well as some of my friends) to complete the 18 miles.

Do running and swimming complement each other?

Adhiratha: I think running the marathon and doing the other distance events prepared me mentally to do the Channel. I learned from doing the marathon that when you start to have certain types of pain. you have to find another way to run so that you don’t stress that particular limb. And the same is true with swimming. If you start to have pain in your shoulder, you try to pull more with your arms. And if irs in your wrists, you pull more with your upper arm and you roll your body more to get more leverage out of your shoulders. So you start to learn after being hours and hours in the water how, if one thing starts to hurt for a while, you try to take the weight on another part of your body.

Were there any secrets that aided you in this event?

Adhiratha: It was the distance training I’d done in other events and the meditation. Together, those two things, and the fact I’d seen Sri Chinmoy (leader of the Peace Meditations at the U.N.) himself do many things that people said they didn’t think he’d do, such as going from being a champion sprinter to doing marathons: and then taking up tennis when he’d never played tennis. He has started to lift weights in the last year, and now he’s up to pressing 200 pounds With one hand. Basically, so many things that he has done – when I was having difficulties With my stroke, I’d sometimes think of watching Sri Chinmoy in a marathon. and how he keeps going. And I thought of him lifting weights sometimes, and that helped me, too.

AK “runners are smilers ” shirt photo

Adhiratha Keefe swam the Channel as a birthday present to the U.N.

About your diet – what was your preparation before the event, and what did you eat and drink during the event?

Adhiratha: Well, I’m a vegetarian and I’ve been one for about 15 years. In July I spoke to (another swimmer) Vasanti on the phone and she told me that lots of really good swimmers who were coming to try the Channel weren’t making it because they were too thin. so she said. “get fat” I’m quite thin naturally, so I knew I had to eat more. It was quite a strange situation because most of the time we runners try to lose weight I remember years ago when I was training for the marathon. I tried to take off weight So, I started talking to people that had gained weight and asked them what their secret was. They said to eat as many times a day as I could and to sleep right after eating. The Sumo wrestlers who were here in New York talked about how they gained weight I read that and thought how I could apply it. I ate a lot of cheese type of things. potatoes and pasta. I didn’t go in for a lot of candies and sugary things, but anything solid that I thought would help me gain weight I ate, along with protein powder and some food supplements.

Before the event I drank a lot of liquids and even while waiting for the pilot to come I drank a quart of liquid – some ERG type of drink. During the event I was given mostly mashed fruit in juices, extra honey, sugar and after six hours they were giving me more and more sugar and hot chocolate along with pears and bananas. I was fed every hour and after six hours, every forty-five minutes. and after twelve hours, every half hour.

Did you have any spiritual experiences during the event?

Adhiratha: The most important experience that I had was waiting for the boat to arrive. The boat was basically an hour later than the pilot had expected to arrive on the shore. This gave me the opportunity to practice a walking meditation up and down the beach. I just tried to focus on my heart and I tried to be aware that I had done everything that I could do – done my training. and to he accepting of where my training was, and just to sort of enjoy this event as much as I could.

Many times in Queens, where I live, I had walked in just such a walking meditation where Sri Chinmoy was present Walking on the beach in a meditative state I felt like I was in Queens and that Sri Chinmoy was watching me. So that was really important – to feel that you’re half way around the world and you are just on another beach. You have trained on the beach in Queens. I was in England to do the event, but I felt like I was on a beach at home.

What do you recommend for someone who wants to swim the Channel?

Adhiratha: First they have to figure out why they want to do it Then they have to examine all of the possibilities – what needs to be done, then make a decision and commitment This has to be the most important thing for them for the next six months. Then they have to set about getting themselves ready for all the possibilities and mentally they have to be able to accept that. doing all that. they might still fail. Otherwise it will be torture with the idea that they might fail. They must feel that they11 gain enough from the training whether they succeed or not and that the determination they build will be worth it to them. Then they’ll be able to do it.

What Is your next challenge?

Adhiratha: I’m not sure yet. Well, I’m starting to train for the New York City Marathon. I’ll see what happens. I’ll see what inner feeling I get, and possibly Sri Chinmoy will say something.

Marathon Team Friends:

Sahisnu Szczesiul, Adhiratha Keefe, Bipin Larkin , Ashrita Furman

Download PDF:

1985-09-sep-10-a-keefe-swim-oneness-world-harbinger-interview-clr (color image scan)
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1985-09-sep-10-a-keefe-swim-photo-suit-marathon-team

An Australian Newsletter

for students and disciples of Sri Chinmoy

“Oneness-Heart”

also had a article in 1986 which gave some more details related to the swim: excerpt below:

“Adhiratha”

************************************************-

Divine Charioteer, carrying earth-aspiration to the Supreme.

——————————————————————-

as of 1986 – A disciple of Sri Chinmoy for over 13 years, , ultra marathoner

Channel between England and France Swimmer

for the 40th anniversary of U.N.

——————————————————–

An Interview

Q: How does your work at the United Nations, fit in with your life?

Q: What sort of programes are held as part of the meditation group’s activities?

Q: What about ultra-swimming and the English Channel. Has a whole new horizon opened up for you?

Q: The cold and all that. What was a major problem in swimming the channel?

Q: What was your time and What happened when you got there?.

Adhiratha has been a dear friend to the Australasians for a long time. Last year through the grace of the Supreme and months of hard training, he swam across the channel between England and France. He felt the effort was best summed up by the following prayer of Sri Chinmoy, our Guru..

My Absolute Lord Supreme

My outer success entirely depends

on Your Eye’s Compassion Flower.

My inner progress breathlessly depends

on Your heart’s Satisfaction fragrance

– by Sri Chinmoy, from: My Lord, I Pray To You, Agni Press, 1994

Excerpt:…

Q: About your work at the United Nations, how does that fit in with your life?

A: I work for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and I hold a professional post (permanent contract) with responsibility for supervising others in a work unit..

I am also involved with the meditation group at the UN called :Sri Chinmoy: the Peace Meditation at the United Nations. I serve as one of the Programme Coordinators. Which means I help with details for special programmes that are in addition to the twice weekly meditation services for the UN community facilitated by the group.

I feel Sri Chinmoy is there to inspire people. He refers to the U.N. as the Heart-Home of the World-Body” and it is a place that has a wonderful goal. He has pointed out many times that many places don’t have that sort of goal, and we should be grateful to be able to work for a place that at least has a good goal. The U.N. in many cases is still a far cry from manifesting its goal…. But just because it has established a goal and is willing to work for it . we can’t blame it because it hasn’t accomplished it yet.

I think Sri Chinmoy’s weightlifting is a perfect example of that. He sets goals, he tries 200, 300 times and he keeps going…The U.N. is the same story. That is what I believe Sri Chinmoy is telling us.Never give up. Keep working selflessly and to believe in the “Supreme” and this good goal.. It will eventually happen, it has to….

Q: What sort of programes do you hold as part fo the meditation group’s activities?

A: We do things for “Human Rights Day”, the “Peace Walks” ( where delegates and staff from many countries come and walk around the UN Garden in relay fashion carrying a symbolic UN Charter – while thinking about the inner significance of the United Nations and Peace). We celebrate UN anniversaries and many sorts of events that reflect on or bring attention to some other special day to day activities in the UN community. For example 1985, is the 40th anniversary since founding of the U.N.

This is probably one of the most important functions of the meditation group, other than creating an atmosphere where people can come and meditate and personally develop.. To help them carry the load of their own work and be inspired.. Some of these special programmes in support of the UN’s highest goals have also sometimes been in cooperation with similar activities around the world taking place at the same time.

Many of the centers associated with Sri Chinmoy all over the world join in having similar supportive activities.. For Example the anniversary of the UN Day in October or signing of the UN Charter in June are celebrated by many centres with some sort of special activity many years. I know that in Melbourne and other cities in Australia over the years, they have been very successful in reminding people and spreading the message of the U.N Agencies and it’s importance to people around the world.

Q: What about a newer pursuit in your life, your ultra-swimming and last year, the English Channel for the 40th anniversary of the U.N. . Has a whole new horizon opened up for you?,

A: Well the swimming is really great, because I could have never imagined doing it to the level it took me. It was something special, a big improvement over what I had done previously..

Then in April 1985, Sri Chinmoy said that some of his disciples could succeed in swimming across the English Channel. Previously one of his students who was very fast swimmer had tried. But he hadn’t developed experience with the cold water and was not successful. At that time, I was very inspired that he even tried it, even though he hadn’t made it.

And then Sri Chinmoy said at big function in Queens for his students: “who else will try” Now you have to remember the one who had tried and failed had been a college swimmer and was considered the fastest of all Sri Chinmoy’s students and disciples around the world.

And I remembered my first triathlon, not too many years before, For the swim part I had to use every stroke I knew just to keep going: the side stroke, the breast stroke even the doggy paddle – just to finish that 1 mile swim, So for me to think about the 20+ mile channel swim was too far out of my capacity. But from time to time, I had been swimming with some of the guys in NY and we had been upping our millage over the years.

As my mind got used to the idea of swimming longer, it inspired me to do more and more. And though I didn’t tell Sri Chinmoy or put my name down to swim the channel. I sort of secretly thought that I would prepare and see how I progressed. As time went on, I saw that I was training just as hard as the guys that did have their names on the list of those intending to attempt the channel swim.

I started getting a little more confident.But then we had what we later called ” Milford Massacre” because we went to try to swim, in cold water. 18 miles at Milford Connecticut. . A couple of weeks before quite a few of us had completed 12 or 13 miles in warm water, but this was totally different. We started, it was cold and windy but soon we got cramps in different parts of our bodies and everything went wrong. The furthest anyone got was 6 miles and that was me.. It was just a Total Wipe out because we done the 12 plus and we thought we were on board, but like three weeks later we tried this. It was such a bad experience, it just totally blew our confidence away.

Then Sri Chinmoy spoke to us as he had never suggested that we swim in cold water for the 18 miles. We had also used wintergreen oil for the failed attempt, that did not really protect us from the cold but we learned later has the opposite effect – it brings heat to the surface but results in cooling your core temperature. It seemed if we still wanted to attempt it we should try in warm water first… So some of us went to try again the 18 miles, this time in warm water and three of us succeeded.

Around the same time, some of the guys became interested in doing a relay crossing of the channel that year instead of a solo swim . and the next day Sri Chinmoy talked to us about the relay across the channel. Number of the guys who had been training were very interested in doing the relay. But for some reason I wasn’t inspired by it. I knew I had gotten seasick in a small boat ( even though I had previously went around the world on a merchant ship). I was concerned that I could ruin everyone else’s attempt if I did get very sea sick in the small craft. ….

The idea of a solo attempt was scary but less scary then the relay for some reason. So I started to train really, really hard and I was putting in the miles…..

And just before I left for Dover, England Sri Chinmoy asked me many questions about what I was planing to do. But the last thing he said was “Do it”..( Laughter laughter) that was all just “DO IT”..

Q: He talked to you about the cold and all that. What was a major problem in swimming the channel?

A: well I had over trained the distance so that was not a problem. But we were coming from training in 72 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degree centigrade) water temperature in New York and going to around 52 F (12 C) in Dover England. I knew I could keep going from the running and biking marathons, the triathlons and all those other experiences.

But when you stroke rate slows down that is when its life threatening. If you go too slow you can start shaking and you lose focus and even consciousness. But they’ll pull you out before you are totally gone (or should). And if you don’t stop until that point, you know you’re probably make it.

The distance is boring but who cares, eventually everything is boring. You sing sweet songs or whatever but you can’t let up.. Thing is, no mater the distance you’ve got to keep your focus and joy there.

The joy of conquering your mind but not torturing your body. It is a fine line I have to keep learning this over and over: of be courageous and fighting your mind when its boring and it looks scary, but its not really worrying about sharks (it is too cold for them in the channel) .

I trained in worse conditions than I was in when I swim in the channel because I trained with the jellyfish in Long Island and in really rough water. Except for the cold water, there was nothing the training didn’t cover. But nothing in my training was consistently as cold as the channel.

Another thing was that the greatest distance that had been completed until that year by Sri Chinmoy’s students was 2 hours, So I figured that if I only was able to do 3 or 4 hours, then the next one from our team would do 6 hours and eventually one of us would make the successful crossing. One other team member, Vasanti from Europe, the day before i attempted had made the crossing, but I didn’t know that. And I also heard that a couple of really good swimmers had to be pulled out of the water after 12 hours and did not make it.

So they were the some of the mental or other hurdles I had to cross. During the actual swim, The first came at two hours, then the six hours. When I’m at 12. It was like home free in a way because 12 hours was respectable..I still wanted to make it all the way across and I wasn’t letting up. But I did not know what was still ahead or how the body would react during the additional hours. But it was such a boost to say “okay let’s take it in”..And then when I got there..(sigh) .

Q: What was your time:

A: 14 hours 51 minutes.

Q: What happened when you got there.

A: Well the Dinghy ( a small row boat they have on the escort vehicle) was beside me. And once that happens you know you must be getting close because it is becoming too shallow for the escort boat to get closer. But you don’t think about too much — just concentrating on keep swimming.. very narrow focus or ability to take in much more mentally at this point.

The cliffs of the French coast seemed so far away, for so long. It seemed when first saw them hours before, that they must be about 12 feet high. Later on we realized they were actually 200 feet high, But when you are still far away they seem much shorter from the (house or road) lights at the top of the cliffs that we could make out..

It was the first time for my handlers, so they weren’t sure how far away we were either. Though the ships captain and his crew of course knew from past experience. It was night by now and it seemed that we were going in for those last few hours, but not getting there. The cliffs just got bigger and bigger. When we finally did get to the shore we were just specks against those big cliffs. We only realised fully what happened when we discussed it later after the swim.

It was night and towards the end the escort boat was shining a beam of light on to the cliffs I desperately hoped there was a beach there because sometimes you can land where there’s no beach and have to get above the water level. So I have to go in and try to find a place .My whole prayer at that time when I was coming in was” “God please let there be a beach, please let there be a beach”. Then I saw the water breaking on what I thought was the shore but I really couldn’t tell. I said to the dinghy are we close. are we close?. And they said “try and stand up, try and stand up”. And when I did I was like waist high in the water.. Laughter.

But then the waves came and they were knocking me down. There were rocks on the bottom. It would have been easier to swim the last few meters to shore. But I did not know what to do. And at that point I didn’t want to do anything wrong. I remembered that when you get that far, you could still do something wrong like touch the boat or something. And then you would blow it… Laughs.

So I said ‘”what do I do”. They are saying just go to shore. And I am thinking do I swim. Am I allowed to walk. I don’t have any mind left. I have been going for almost 15 hours saying to myself “swim, swim, swim. You idiot, don’t think about it, swim.” So I sort of staggered into the shore.

When I got there my helper, and good friend Sanatan, was saying, “come on, come on” pointing back out to the escort boat and sea.. And he was coming to hug me. I said “no, No. I got to get 3 feet above the shore line. 3.feet Above”. And he saying “that’s enough. That’s enough . You have made it”. And I’m saying “just let me get 5 feet more to make sure” … Laughter.

I keep running up the sand and he ran up behind me and grabbed me . You should note that’ Sanatan was with me for many days before I tried it . While I was training in England. And for most of the time he refused to go anywhere near the water. He said “why should I get cold ..you’re doing this” .

But when I got there, He ran in with all of his clothes on. He had just jumped out of the Dinghy , as it came to shore near me. He was screaming ecstatically:. “Guru (Sri Chinmoy).. Will be so happy. I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it you did it. This is incredible. You did it. You did it.” He was just going wild, which you don’t see very often with my friend Sanatan.

It began when I had first stood up in the water and he was in the dinghy, Sanatan was yelling “he is standing, he is standing. I can’t believe it”.

So eventually I got back to the escort boat. And they wrap me up in what seemed like 15 sets of clothes. Then put me in a mummy sleeping bag and set me on deck for the ride back (I didn’t want to go below deck because I knew you can get more sea sick down below).

From time to time, one of the crew, my helpers or the pilot would ask me how I was feeling on the way back. And I would simply say “fine”. I was happy just to be smiling there quietly. I didn’t know what to say. None of It had really sunk in. I didn’t really even feel like anything. Really, just peaceful and sort of blissful. For so long I wanted to do this thing ….

Then for weeks afterwards, I’d wake up in the middle of the night thinking I was swimming the channel. Or thinking I was still training for it and had a couple of days left… and slowly I would realize.

The whole experience was just incredible and I am grateful.

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