SwimDream76 by Thomas Voller
My name is François Kofoed Moneaux. I was born in Charleroi, in Belgium, in 1976 and I’ve been living in Denmark since 1999. I’m self-employed and work both as a translator/interpreter (Euro-translators) and as a personal trainer and running coach (Formel76). Belgian by birth and Danish at heart, I’ve been living with Martin in Elsinore since 2002.
I wasn’t much of a sport freak as a child or teenager. Team sport was never my thing, so I settled on being the school’s geek sitting through every gym session watching the others play ball by rules I still don’t have a single clue about!
I first found my passion for recreational sport in my late 20’ies. I woke up one day and realized that my job at the office and the coziness of my marriage had cost me nearly 30 kg. I’m not a fashionista, but I had seen better looks than the Michelin man. So I got a grip on myself and started exercising seriously again. First running, then triathlon. I quickly realised I was more the endurance type. While preparing for my second IronMan, I met this amazing trainer and former World Champion, Susanne Nielsen, and she changed my life forever.
Besides teaching me how to swim effectively, Susanne has taught me to believe in myself – to release myself from the ghosts still haunting me from all those years of being bullied as a child, to unleash the beast within and go for my dream. You don’t have to be a celebrity or a professional athlete to achieve great results. Be humble, dedicated and confident and a whole new world of opportunites will open soon. So when lower back issues forced me to stop cycling, I decided to drop long distance triathlons and to focus more and more on my open water swimming. I love the feeling of freedom and infinity conveyed by the open water. Being one with Mother Nature, working with her while being at her mercy. A thrilling challenge and a new way to see the world and myself.
A few years back I’d never thought I’d be able to crawl for 50 meters without drowning, and today I’m about to cross the English Channel! It’s amazing what your body can achieve as long as you respect it. Properly prepared you can push back any limits.
Will is everything!__________
SD76
_________________
You can contact me at fm @ formel76.dk
SwimDream76 
Tu crois qu’on peut apprendre à nager le crawl à n’importe quel âge ? Quand je te vois, et quand je repense à toi à 18 ans, tu n’étais pas ce qu’on peut appeler une bête de sport … tu es certain que tu ne savais pas déjà plus ou moins bien nager le crawl ? J’aimerais un jour faire un HUITIEME de triathlon, entendons-nous bien, mais je nage trop lentement en brasse, et puis ça fait vraiment ridicule ….. Tiens j’ai reparlé de toi hier soir avec Gregory Renders, justement, de ton défi et de ton goût pour le sport. En tous cas, chapeau, ne vas pas te noyer quand même, et si j’en ai l’occasion, je viendrais bien te voir arriver après ton défi …..
Bien sûr, il n’y a pas d’âge pour apprendre le crawl. J’avais passé le cap des 30 ans quand je m’y suis mis et je me débrouille plutôt pas mal. 🙂 Comme quoi, il n’est jamais trop tard pour se réinventer ! Cool pour ton 8e. Lance-toi, même à la brasse s’il le faut. Ca va le coup et une fois que tu y auras goûté, tu apprendras le crawl encore plus vite ! 😀