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Nub News has decided to look at the record holders of Penarth. From swimming to gaming, here are some of the record breakers from our town... and those that came close.

First person to swim the Bristol Channel

On 5th September 1927, Kathleen Thomas from Penarth became the first person to swim the Bristol Channel.

Many men had tried and failed before her, but she swam the treacherous 11 mile stretch in seven hours and 20 minutes.

A plaque dedicated to this aquatic feat can still be spotted on Penarth Pier. It commemorates the 80th anniversary of the achievement.

She truly shocked the nation. No one believed that "a mere woman" would have the strength or stamina to go the distance.

Fastest Coastal Path run

A more recent record, Penarth Resident Rhys Jenkins broke the world record for running the entire 870 mile length of the Wales Coastal Path.

In just August last year, the 33-year-old ran from Chester in North Wales to Chepstow in South Wales.

He completed this mammoth challenge in 20 days 10hrs and 38mins, beating the previous record by 2hrs 17mins.

In doing so, he raised £4,500 for charity.

Game-a-thon

Back in 2010, local lads James Johnson, Trystan Cook and John-Paul Rogers claimed to have broken the world record for continuously playing a first-person-shooter video game.

The trio say they played the Counter Strike for 38 hrs, 28 min. The previous record stood at just over 32 hours.

They had hoped to play for 60 hours but one of the three accidentally dosed off short of the two-day mark.

As far as Nub News can tell, they are not currently in the Guinness Book of World Records which indicates the record authority were unable to verify the achievement.

Tides

Penarth itself just misses out on setting an international record.

The rise and fall of the tides at Penarth are the second highest recorded anywhere in the world.

The world's largest tidal range of 16.3 metres (53.5 feet) occurs in Bay of Fundy, Canada.

Penarth's is thought to be 15 metres.

Next week on the newsletter, we'll be taking a closer look at Kathleen Thomas' feat.