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AUSAustraliaSport:SwimmingDes Renford built an international marathon-swimming career after returning to serious distance competition in middle age. Born in New South Wales on 25 August 1927, he had won a childhood swimming championship before serving in the Royal Australian Navy. He began competing professionally in 1967, aged 39, and carried experience from Australian coastal and river races into the English Channel.
His first successful Channel swim came in 1970, when he became the first Australian to complete the England-to-France route. He ultimately accumulated 19 successful crossings. The pursuit of the King of the Channel title brought him into a celebrated rivalry with Mike Read and Kevin Murphy, turning repeated crossings into a sustained test of endurance and determination. His career also included racing on the Murray River, in Moreton Bay and in Sydney Harbour, together with a long coastal swim from Watsons Bay to Wollongong.
Renford continued contributing after his principal solo career. He joined an Australian Channel relay in 1991 and helped manage a four-way Australian relay in 1993. His autobiography, Nothing Great Is Easy, appeared in 1992. Alongside his sporting achievements, he supported community swimming and Special Olympics. He died on 30 December 1999; the swimming centre bearing his name preserves that local legacy.
19 successful Channel crossings · Australian marathon-swimming pioneer
Also recorded as Desmond Renford.
Crossing details, recordings & verificationSolo swim
Sunday, 9 August 1970 (recorded swim date)
England → France
Elapsed time · 13h 9m
Start clock · Clock time not confirmed
Finish clock · Clock time not confirmed
Ratifying body's record checked · See the crossing record for qualifications and supporting evidence.
Solo swim
Wednesday, 11 September 1974 (recorded swim date)
England → France
Elapsed time · 14h 2m
Start clock · Clock time not confirmed
Finish clock · Clock time not confirmed
Ratifying body's record checked · See the crossing record for qualifications and supporting evidence.
Solo swim
1978 · exact day not recorded here
England → France
Elapsed time · 12h 33m
Start clock · Clock time not confirmed
Finish clock · Clock time not confirmed
Ratifying body's record checked · See the crossing record for qualifications and supporting evidence.
Solo swim
Saturday, 22 July 1972 (recorded swim date)
France–England
Elapsed time · 13h 30m
Start clock · Clock time not confirmed
Finish clock · Clock time not confirmed
Ratifying body's record checked · See the crossing record for qualifications and supporting evidence.
Solo swim
Saturday, 19 August 1972 (recorded swim date)
England–France
Elapsed time · 12h 59m
Start clock · Clock time not confirmed
Finish clock · Clock time not confirmed
Ratifying body's record checked · See the crossing record for qualifications and supporting evidence.
Solo swim
Monday, 18 August 1980 (recorded swim date)
England–France
Elapsed time · 15h 10m
Start clock · Clock time not confirmed
Finish clock · Clock time not confirmed
Ratifying body's record checked · See the crossing record for qualifications and supporting evidence.
Solo · 1-way
England–France
Tuesday, 28 August 1979 (recorded swim date)
Elapsed time · 14h 9m
Start clock · Clock time not confirmed
Finish clock · Clock time not confirmed
Qualification · Published dates for this race differ between 24 and 28 August 1979. Neither establishes the departure or completion date.
Ratifying body's record checked · See the crossing record for qualifications and supporting evidence.
Solo · 1-way
England–France
Friday, 8 August 1980 (recorded swim date)
Elapsed time · 14h 54m
Start clock · Clock time not confirmed
Finish clock · Clock time not confirmed
Ratifying body's record checked · See the crossing record for qualifications and supporting evidence.
Open-water swimming · Race
1969 · exact day not confirmed
Murray River, Australia
Won the 65 km marathon, identified in his Hall of Fame profile as his first marathon victory.
Published distance · 65 km
Placing / category · 1st overall
Historical account checked · Details and qualifications are in the career evidence.
Open-water swimming · Solo swim
1974 · exact day not confirmed
Watson’s Bay, Sydney Harbour → North Wollongong Harbour, Australia
Completed the coastal swim described by the Hall of Fame as unassisted.
Elapsed time · 27h 29m
Published distance · 93 km (historical source account)
Historical account checked · Details and qualifications are in the career evidence.
1937
Won a 55-yard childhood championship.
1967
Began competing professionally at the age of 39.
9 August 1970
Completed an England-to-France swim in 13 hours 9 minutes.
1975
Took the title during his campaign of repeated crossings.
1991
Swam as a member of the first all-Australian cross-Channel relay team.
26 November 1998
Inducted in recognition of his long-distance swimming career.
1 March 2000
Heffron Pool was renamed in his honour.
1972
Separate solos ran from France to England on 22 July and England to France on 19 August, in 13:30 and 12:59 respectively.
Achievements update from recorded results. A tick means the supporting results are verified.
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First recorded finish
1 more finish needed
0 of 1 recorded
Selected swimming performances appear in the English Channel record above.
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