A 16-YEAR-OLD Warrington girl has sensationally smashed men's and women's long-standing records for swimming the length of Lake Windermere by breaststroke, even having time to eat a ham sandwich en route!

Ellie Knight from Paddington, who trains with Warrington Swimming and Water Polo Club, Warrington Dolphins and Scarborough Kingfishers, completed the 10.5 miles Windermere Championship more than five minutes faster than anybody has achieved before – a time almost 37 minutes better than any other female has managed previously.

Amazingly, it was not only her first attempt at the iconic event but three-and-a-half miles further than she has swam before and her aim was merely to complete the race.

When the outdoor long-distance swimming season ends next weekend, the former Warriors of Warrington member will have completed almost 70 miles of racing in what has been her final year at Cardinal Newman High School ahead of starting sixth-form at Priestley College this month.

And she has been the first breaststroker home in the 15 outdoor swims she has done across the UK since the season started in May.

Proud Grandma Lyn Crowther said: "I think it is fantastic that she has broken two Windermere records older than what she is.

"Having never swam more than a 5.25 mile race before this season, it's an amazing accomplishment to have taken part in swims of six and seven miles, often in the most challenging of weathers and water temperatures, all followed by her achievements at Windermere."

Ellie, the youngest competitor, clocked 5hrs 50mins 51secs across Windermere in the British Long Distance Swimming Association event, tackling some choppy water in places at temperatures no warmer than 16 degrees Celsius.

Previous records held by the BLDSA for this swim were set by Heather McDonald (women's race) in 1996 in 6hrs 27mins 36secs and Chris Partington (men's race) in 1991 in 5hrs 56mins 18secs.

Her long-distance swimming follows in the footsteps of her grandfather Henry, who now forms part of Ellie's safety crew in a kayak alongside her during races and was close at hand along with dad Carl when Ellie felt 'famished' a few miles after starting out at Windermere.

Lyn said: "She fancied a ham sandwich, and that’s just what she ate. Lay on her back in the water, it obviously didn’t do her any harm and no-one was more amazed than she was in completing this epic swim in the time she did."

Henry's swimming career has proved to be quite an inspiration to his granddaughter, with Ellie compiling a list of the events he contested so that she can do them too.

Windermere was among them.

"Ellie's aim was just to get into the lake at one end and swim to the other," said Lyn.

"It really didn’t matter to her what time she did it in, just so long as she did.

"It’s a swim she had been wanting to do for some time, but under the rules of the BLDSA wasn’t old enough until this year."

Dedication at such a young age in such a testing environment can be seen in the morning of Ellie's record-breaking heroics.

"It was an early start with a wake-up call at 4am to set off for the swim," said Lyn, who went on to explain the events leading up to Ellie's ham sandwich meal.

"Ellie had little time to have a substantial breakfast, her intention was to eat before the start and took along her favourite, toast and jam.

"Like all good plans, this didn’t happen, she was far too busy chatting to others she hadn’t seen for a while.

"It was no surprise to Henry and her dad Carl that she needed a feed very quickly, within a couple of miles of the race starting.

"At this point Ellie was in her words “famished” but wasn’t content with a mere gel to boost her energy levels, she fancied a ham sandwich, and that’s just what she ate."

Last year Ellie broke another record, this time with Henry, as they swam the Mighty Mersey event together, being the only grandfather and grandchild to have done so.

The outdoor swim season for this year is almost at an end.

She is scheduled to tackle Warrington Dolphins' four-mile Albert Dock event on Saturday before wrapping up with a three-miler at Lynn Regis in Norfolk on September 22.

Ellie's 2018 race calendar:

19th May, Budworth Handicap (1 mile)

20th May, Blackpool Pier to Pier (1 mile)

26th May, BLDSA Wykeham Night Swim (5k)

27th May, BLDSA Wykeham (5k)

2nd June, BLDSA Warrington Dolphins Budworth Mere (3 miles)

16th June, City of Liverpool Ivan Percival (4 miles)

23rd June, BLDSA Champion of Champions (three races, 5 miles, 3 miles, 1 mile)

7th July, BLDSA Bala Llyn Tegig (6 miles)

8th July, BLDSA Bala (3 miles)

11th August, BLDSA Ullswater (7 miles)

12th August, BLDSA Derwentwater (5.25 miles)

26th August, YABBA Loch Earn (7 miles)

1st September, BLDSA Windermere (10.5 miles)

15th September, BLDSA Dolphin Swim Albert Dock (4 miles)

22nd September BLDSA Lynn Regis (3 miles)