Former rugby player swims Thames Marathon with one working arm

The swim was part of Davids’ preparation for the Chillswim on 5 September, when he will swim the 11 miles of Lake Windermere to raise funds and awareness for the RFU Injured Players Foundation (IPF).

The IPF is England Rugby’s official charity and supports players at any level of the game who have sustained an acute life-changing injury while playing rugby union in England. 

While thankfully extremely rare, if a catastrophic injury does occur on the pitch, the IPF are on hand to ensure access to the most appropriate medical care as well as emotional, practical and financial assistance. Support can be provided for a player and their family for life if needed. 

The IPF also funds research to improve injury management and to reduce the risk of catastrophic injury occurring in the game.

Davids, who lost the use of his right arm 26 years ago after sustaining a brachial plexus injury (nerve damage around the spinal cord) in a tackle, has spent the past eight months clocking up miles in the pool and along the south coast as part of his training.

This week he headed to the river to take on his longest swim yet. Speaking about the Henley to Marlow course, Davids said: ‘I was really nervous ahead of the swim as I wasn’t sure how I’d get on swimming that far, but it was okay.

“I had a dip about 10K but then picked up again towards the end for a little sprint finish because I knew people were watching! I feel really enthused now. It’s been the perfect warm up for the main event.”

Explaining why he decided to take on next month’s challenge, Davids said: “I chose the Chillswim in Windermere because it’s the longest lake swim you can do in England.

“I’ll be swimming the whole thing with my left arm. That means I can only breathe on one side and only see one side. I try to kick my legs harder to compensate, but that’s obviously more tiring. I think it should take around six hours so it will be monumentally hard.

“What I’d say to anyone who's had an injury like mine is don't be put off by any challenge. There are ways you find of doing them. The first time I tried to swim after my arm injury I could only do one or two lengths and went round in circles a bit.

“The point is not to be discouraged, whether it’s swimming or anything else, it's just nice to persevere and breakthrough.”

Perseverance will be required in abundance in the Lake District, but Davids has plenty of motivation to draw on.

“Knowing I will be helping the IPF will really spur me on,” he said. “It is such a valuable charity in helping people get on with their lives after sustaining a life-changing injury and provides them with all sorts of support to help them and their families deal with everything.

“My injury occurred back in 2000 before the IPF was launched [2008] and there wasn’t the same infrastructure. I think I would really have benefited from the kind of support the Foundation provides for players now.

“It wasn’t until 2025 that I discovered the IPF and that it has been able to extend its support over the past few years to reach more of the rugby family.

 “The charity is working hard to raise their profile to make sure players know support is available. “I have a real urge to help them do that. Raising awareness is as strong a pull for me as raising money.

“It was so reassuring to discover the IPF. Meeting other beneficiaries was a seminal moment for me. It felt like we immediately understood each other and almost overnight I felt less lonely about my injury.

“I don’t particularly need anything material from the Foundation. Just knowing I’m part of it, and can meet others with similar experiences, is a huge comfort to me.”

Barry’s fundraising challenge can be supported via his JustGiving page here