British endurance swimmer Ross Edgley becomes first to swim around Iceland

Sept. 9 (UPI) -- British endurance swimmer Ross Edgley became the first person to swim 1,000 miles around Iceland.

Edgley, 39, endured freezing temperatures and powerful waves during the four-month journey that also saw him lose part of his tongue due to saltwater exposure before he crossed the finish line in Reykjavik on Monday and celebrated by drinking from a Viking horn.

"This has been the toughest and most ambitious challenge I have attempted yet," Edgley said at the finish line. "Iceland provided an incredible opportunity to test my physical and mental limits. The country has provided some insane experiences I will never forget."

Throughout the challenge, Edgley swam in six-hour increments followed by six hours of rest on a yacht designed to support his journey.

"You just do your best to keep it in some sort of shape, controlling the inevitable breakdown of your body, hoping that you get back into Reykjavik," he said.

He studied whales and seals to get ready for the cool Icelandic waters by putting on what he described as roughly 30 pounds of "pure fat" but adding there was "abit of muscle as well."

"When you look at what sort of animals survive in Iceland, there's that idea of sea blubber. You want insulation, you want body fat," he said.

On social media he said how the swim "wasn't just a swim" but a "scientific expedition for ocean conservation," as in addition to completing the endurance challenge, he also collected eDNA samples from the water near the coastline to bolster knowledge about the biodiversity and microplastics found in the region's ocean.

He has also completed other endurance swimming challenges, such as a 1,791-mile swim in 157 days around the coast of Great Britain and 317 miles along the Yukon River in Canada.