Schoolboy celebrates 12th birthday by taking on iconic London swimming challenge

Schoolboy celebrates 12th birthday by taking on iconic London swimming challenge EXCLUSIVE: Inspired by watching his parents complete the previous year, Thomas Furze spent six months preparing alongside his dad before coming the youngest swimmer at this year's Swim Serpentine While most children look forward to cake and presents, one schoolboy had his sights set on a rather different birthday challenge - swimming half a mile through London's Serpentine. Thomas Furze celebrated turning 12 by becoming the youngest swimmer at this year's Swim Serpentine last weekend, taking on the open-water challenge alongside his dad David, 49, after six months of training together. But despite swimming side by side for most of the course, the youngster had no intention of letting his dad beat him, launching into a last-minute sprint to cross the finish line first. Thomas, who finished 37th in the half a mile challenge overall, was inspired to take part after watching his parents David and Clare, 48, compete in the event last year. He told the Mirror: “I really wanted to do a challenge for my birthday, and seeing my parents do it last year was super cool and I thought I was able to do it this year.” The youngster, who celebrated his birthday on September 16, admitted he had a mixture of excitement and nerves ahead of the big day. He said: “I was feeling very excited, but still feeling very nervous because it was quite a big event.” But once in the water, Thomas had another goal in mind - beating his dad to the finish line. David recalled: “We we're swimming side-by-side the entire way around until he beat me at the end. He out sprinted me in the last 100 metres.” And Thomas wasn’t hiding his competitive side, he admitted: “I very much wanted to beat him, that was my main thing to do.” But beyond the friendly competition, David said sharing the experience with his son was a moment he will treasure. He said: “To have your son swimming next to you is just magical. It's one of the moments I'll never forget.” Despite Thomas's enthusiasm, David admitted he and his wife were initially nervous about their son taking on an open-water challenge at such a young age. He said: “I'm a a very proud dad. Though we were slightly nervous that he was taking on this open water challenge at just 12 years old.” Thomas is no stranger to open-water activities, he is already taking part in trainee lifeguarding. But the half-mile course was the longest continuous open-water swim he had attempted. David added: “It was a big challenge but I knew he would be absolutely fine.” The duo spent six months preparing for the event, training together every Tuesday morning, with David describing the experience as another opportunity to strengthen their bond. “It makes us closer as a family, all of these shared experiences is what makes us close. It's been lovely to train together as father and son every Tuesday morning.” Thomas took comfort in knowing his dad was alongside him throughout the swim. He said: “I could swim next to my dad and know that if anything happened to me, he would be there to help him.” He added: “It feels really cool, because lots of people won't have the opportunity to do this and I feel so happy I do. At such a young age, I'm really proud of what I did.” The family made a weekend of Thomas's birthday celebrations, including a trip to watch The Hunger Games and having completed his first Swim Serpentine, Thomas already has his sights set on an even bigger challenge next year. He hopes to double the distance by taking on the one-mile course alongside his whole family, including mum Clare and his 14-year-old sister Bella. David said: “There's a call for all four of us to do it this time, which will include Bella, our daughter.”