Into The Deep End

What if you could flick a switch that took you from self-protect mode to self-explore? Business owner Ryan Stramrood used endurance swimming to catapult his company to the next level

- Lisa Abdellah

Most of us live inside the confines of a box, where a steady job and a moderate level of risk exists. Why? Because it’s comfortable. And the mind is designed to keep us safe. But it’s often more overprotective than it should be – and it could be holding us back from all that exists outside the box.

When the owner of Stramrood Connect, an advertising agency, Ryan Stramrood nervously signed up for his first swim squad 19 years ago, he was a self-confessed couch potato who could barely manage 20 lengths of the pool. He wasn’t a superhuman athlete, by any stretch of the imagination. Fast forward to the present and his achievements include a solo swim across the notorious English Channel, the first official ‘ice mile’ in Antarctica, and the world’s first swim around the southernmost tip of South America. At the time of writing, he’s preparing to attempt his 100th Robben Island crossing. Stramrood does all his cold-water swimming without a wetsuit.

The 45-year-old Capetonian shares the lessons endurance swimming has taught him about aiming high in business, taking risks and the importance of teamwork.

GQ: What did hitting the wall during your English Channel crossing teach you about your capabilities?