Academy professor sets swimming world record Published July 26, 2006 By John Van Winkle U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFPN) -- An Air Force Academy professor set a world record in long-distance swimming July 23.Lt. Col. Tim Lawrence of the U.S. Air Force Academy's Department of Astronautical Engineering became the first American to swim the 14.8 nautical miles from Britain's Jersey Island to France. In the process, he lowered the best overall time by more than three minutes to 8 hours, 21 minutes, 17 seconds. Colonel Lawrence is only the sixth person in the world to successfully complete this long-distance swim solo. The colonel set off Saturday morning from La Coupe Point. "The weather here can be so unstable," Colonel Lawrence said. "It started out with hellacious conditions, with torrential rain and a downpour." After about half a mile, the wind and tide aligned. "Then it was a dead calm sea," said the 1988 academy graduate. "All the long-water swims I've done have been in choppy waters, but the wind and tide were aligned until the last three miles. Then the tide turned and I had to fight my way in." Weather is only one of the challenges long-distance swimmers face making the trek from the British channel island to France. Swimmers cannot wear wetsuits, but water temperatures are between 59 and 64.5 degrees Fahrenheit during June and July. Thus, a swimmer cannot switch to a backstroke to rest, as they must generate a continual amount of body heat. Hypothermia sets in when one's body temperature drops from the normal 98.4 degrees to about 95 degrees. After battling in the last few miles and setting foot on the western shore of France's Cherbourg peninsula, the colonel was greeted by 75 people with an American flag. Only then did he learn that he was the new world record holder. The old record of 8 hours, 26 minutes and 28 seconds was set in 2005. The colonel beat that record by five minutes to become the first American and only sixth person ever to complete the swim solo since it was first accomplished in 1966.Colonel Lawrence's record also beats the best relay team times. Only four teams have completed the Jersey Island-France swim via relay. Sunday's swim is the latest in a long-distance swimming career, which includes completing two Ironman triathalons. Colonel Lawrence swam the English Channel in 1999. He became the first American to swim the 41 nautical miles around Jersey Island in 2002, and was the first American and second person ever to swim from the island of Vis to Split, Croatia. "This is my last swim," the world record-holder said Sunday. After thanking those who assisted him in Europe and in his training in Colorado, the colonel said he will return to the academy next week. Then his focus shifts from water to space, as he resumes his duties as director of the Space Systems Research Center here. "My goal now is to get FalconSAT-3 safely in space," he said. FalconSAT-3 is a cadet-built satellite and one of two space programs Colonel Lawrence oversees at the academy. The satellite contains five scientific experiments and is scheduled for a November launch date.