Jason Thom emerged from the sea at the popular Le Meridien Mina Seyahi beach resort to a hero's welcome yesterday after swimming for almost five hours from Palm Jebel Ali to Palm Jumeirah to raise awareness for World Diabetes Day.
Dozens of friends, work colleagues and onlookers waded into the water to greet the 29-year-old financier from Johannesburg, South Africa, as he completed the final 200 metres of his exhausting, 25km journey.
Mr Thom, the first man to attempt the swim, began training for it six months ago, spurred on by the desire to raise awareness for a disease which affects one in five adults in the UAE, the second-highest rate in the world behind only the tiny Pacific island nation of Nauru.
Looking slightly sunburnt and tired, Mr Thom said he was overwhelmed by the welcome he received. "It's great,ā€¯ he said. "I'm just surprised I can stand.ā€¯
A former sprint swimmer who friends say was once "an Olympic hopefulā€¯, Mr Thom raced until the age of 19 in South Africa.
That competitive streak appeared to have remained with him yesterday when he overcame adverse currents about three-quarters of the way along his route. "I could see the finish line but it wasn't getting any closer,ā€¯ he said with a smile.
A safety boat, carrying a nutritionist, paramedic, friends and family, followed his route across the water.
It was not his first marathon swim; he swam the English Channel when he was 16, covering a distance of 34km.
Although he is not a diabetic himself, Mr Thom was inspired to make his swim because he has lived in Dubai for three years and has many friends who have been diagnosed with the disease. He said he hoped to make his swim an annual "awareness-raisingā€¯ event. ā€“ The National
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