January 31, 2025 • 10 mins
Dr. David Edgar is a man of many talents.
He's a Major in the NZ Army and currently Officer Commanding Physical Performance Squadron. He has an extensive background working in Rugby as a S&C Coach with Waikato, Chiefs, Manu Samoa, as well as over in Japan.
He's also an accomplished marathon swimmer and endurance athlete, and will shortly look to complete the NZ marathon swimming Triple Crown by swimming the Foveaux Strait, having already completed the length of Lake Taupo and the Cook Strait.
Plus, he’s also on a mission to conquer the Ocean Seven.
Edgar is doing all of this to help raise awareness for dyslexia and those with learning challenges, and he joined Piney to discuss his achievements.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalks EDB two twenty.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Six on NEWSTALKSZBB and Weekend Sport. Doctor Dave Edgar is
a man of many talents. He's a major in the
New Zealand Army, currently Officer Commanding Physical Performance Squadron. He
has an extensive background working in rugby as a strength
and conditioning coach for Whitecuttle, the chiefs Man of Samoa,
and also in Japan. And he's an accomplished marathon swimmer
(00:35):
and endurance athlete. He'll shortly look to complete the New
Zealand Marathon swimming triple crown by swimming Fovo straight. He's
already completed the length of Lake Topor and Cook straight.
He's also on a mission to conquer the Ocean seven,
which I'm keen to find out more about. He's doing
all of this to help raise awareness for dyslexia and
(00:56):
those with learning challenges. Dr Dave Egar is with us. Dave,
this is amazing. Let's start with your upcoming swim. What
are the specific challenges of swimming the Favah straight?
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Hey, get a pony, great to be here and me
Thanks for the awesome intro. Yeah, look the FOVO. The
big challenges is, look, we've got the tide window, it's
always the weather. So I'm talking with the boat captain
down there daily at the moment to try and nail
the ideal day it's looking like next Thursday or Friday.
(01:28):
And then around that just the winds, trying to get
the best winds to ride across and water temperature. I've
done a heck of a lot of cold water training.
And probably the other thing that's in the back of
the mind is the old great things floating around in
the water down there.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Yes, I'd imagine that'd be something you'd like to avoid.
So when you are looking for ideal conditions and you've identified,
as you say, a window that might be your perfect day,
what does that day look like?
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Okay, what does it look like? Yeah, I guess we
target these windows pretty early out and it goes off
the tides. You want to ib tide, which is the
I guess the lowest tide of the month or one
of the last of the months, less water pushing you around.
You still go on a high tide, so you get
the flow so you can target that, you know, months
out going off different predictions and tides and day and whatnot.
(02:16):
The challenging point then becomes obviously the weather. You can
follow weather patterns, but you're not sure exactly what's going
to happen at that time. So really it's just being
ready to go, confident that you can do it, and
hoping the stars align a little bit, because if it
doesn't come off, you know, you've got that risk. You've
invested so much. Do you jump in and do it
or do you just hold off a few more weeks,
(02:38):
a few months, will wait till the next year.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Do you have a target time in mind to swim over?
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Yeah, I've looked at this and it's an interesting one
because you can put a target time on it, but
you really I don't want to have a set target
time in my head. And then things don't quite go
to plan and you're getting pushed, you know, one way
or the other, and it's taking a bit longer. But
I really think it's achievable in sort of about eight
to ten hours, all going well close it to of
(03:06):
the eight and it's just you know, sticking to a plan,
listening to your crew, and just pushing as hard as can.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
How does that compare it to swimming Cook Straight or
Lake Topoor.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Yeah, I guess I've had been asked that quite a bit.
I mean, the difference between the fresh water and the
salt water, for a start, is that when I look at,
say I compare Cook Straight to Lake Talpo, I was
probably a lot more beaten up swimming Lake Talpo Wow,
because you sit lower in the water, you don't have
the buoyancy and you just swim in a one big
(03:38):
straight line all day. And on that swim, I got
through it no worries, but my I had one of
my burser and my left bursa and my shoulder sort
of started to not play the game with about two
hours to go, So that was sort of quite agony
because you're sitting lower in the water, you're reaching up
and I was really sore. The Cook Straight not so sore.
Body was in good nick, but I was just really tired,
probably from being pushed around a little bit more on
(04:00):
the tide. So yeah, with the FOVO, same sort of thing.
Tapering Now, the heck of a lot of strength work,
conditioning work, obviously, lots and lots of swimming. Now some
you know, pretty decent swims over the summer upwards of
sort of twenty four to twenty five k's and yeah,
just getting his best nick as I can, and freshening
up just to be ready to go.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
So how long did cook straight take you? What was
the time for that?
Speaker 3 (04:23):
My cook straight time was eight hours forty seven?
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Okay, so about the same, about the same as what
you're aiming for for five Oh.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Yeah, about the same. And again, like I say, you've
got to be prepared for everything. Point to point, cook
straight was twenty three kilometers. I swam eight hours forty seven,
but I covered forty four k's that day.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Oh wow.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Yeah, eight hour forty seven was still a pretty damn
good time, and there was a few people didn't even
get across the summer.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
So yeah, what is it about marathon swimming that appeals
to you?
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Oh yeah, I get asked a lot. Look, it's I
guess I've always been in endurance, an indurance athlete, in endurance,
junkie probably more so. And it's opened up another whole
world for me, because I mean, I'm fifty two now,
I've represented I have represented New Zealand and Trithleon an
iron Man, an Ironman Trithon was my sport did Hawaii
iron Man, and that was me, it's going to be
a pro and I had this career laid out, but
(05:14):
then my knees sort of didn't play the game. Maybe
too many years in the military and caring packs and
whatnot what we do didn't help. But now open water swimming,
because I find, regardless of age, it's not as tough
on the body, it's not as pounding, and it's pliny.
It has opened up this whole new world to me.
In that triathlete, you know, we prided ourselves on being
(05:35):
skinny and lean. It's a whole different world. I've had
to put on weight in fat just to stay warm
in the water. The time in the water, the mental challenges,
dealing with the cold, dealing with currents, dealing with you know,
sea life, just all these different challenges that are all
down to you to push through on that self challenge.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Amazing. So tell us about the Ocean seven.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Yeah, the Ocean seven. So that's it's I guess it's
it's a series or it's you know that it's a
challenge that it's the toughest seven oceans of the world,
any one of them on the given day is a
tough one. So that's sort of the real benchmark of
open water international swimming. Sorry was that?
Speaker 2 (06:16):
No, I was going to ask you how far and
wide you have to go to if you if you
are to achieve that.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
Yeah, No, she's she's pretty decent. I've done the cook straight.
That's one. Then you've got In Europe, there's a few.
So there's the English Channel, the Northern Channel, which is
Ireland to Scotland. In Europe, there is the Gibraltar which
is pretty much Europe to Africa, Catalina which is Catalina
Island to San Francisco, cold waters and sharks to sue
(06:43):
you straight in Japan which is the mainland of Japan
to her Kaido, and Malachai Channel in Hawaii, so all
over the place. I'm really cold, some really warm.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Amazing. What a challenge for you. Why does the raising
of awareness for dyslexia when you're doing all of this
resonate particularly with you, Dave?
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Well, pretty simple, really, and I've faced a heck of
a lot of challenges in my time, man. I guess
it sort of goes hand in hand something that maybe
I used to try and hide or put to the
side and not want people to know. But I've found
ways to get through it. And I mean the endurance sport,
the swimming has just been a really really good platform
(07:25):
to use that I'm pushing this area. You know, I've
pushed myself physically but mentally as well. So hence you
know I have a platform. I swim off doctor Dave swims.
And that's because even as you know, the early challenges
I faced, I managed to achieve getting my PhD. I
never thought i'd have a degree, let alone a PhD.
I'm I'm a proud born and bred took it all boy,
(07:46):
left school, worked in a bush gang. I was pretty
proud of that. But I just, you know, early on,
I thought this is okay, but I can achieve some
cool stuff. And I just kept pushing through joining the military,
got a degree, and just sort of pushed from there,
so advocating learning that we can achieve. We've just got
to find pretty much our own way to achieve.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
The end loop amazing and and I to all of us.
You've worked a butt in rugby as well, tell us
about that.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
Yeah, mate, Yeah, I've had a pretty cool career. I
again talked about my endurance sport, and I went to
Otarger University when I first left the military, and you know,
as we do, I sort of thought I'm going to
get a job an endurance. Then realized that New Zealand
actually had very few jobs, so rugby was the way
to go. I played rugby when I was younger. I
always I was a pirates man. Pirates yeah, and I
(08:33):
thought pretty early this is the way to go. So yeah, straight,
I managed to work with the university clubs, had my
degree and I was lucky enough to get my first
rugby job was back with my boyhood team of Whitekatto
and that was in the early days when Warren Gatlan
come back. So I had some success there assistant trainer
with the Chiefs, and then journey sort of carried on.
I was lucky enough to get the job with Somemore.
(08:54):
I was the manage some wore head strength conditioning coach
for four years, did the two eleven World Cup, and
then off the back of that, managed to go to Japan.
I was actually I was employed by Eddie Jones at
Suntery to look after the Suntry club. Had two years
there and had some success and it was that was
a pretty cool journey. Another couple of years around Japan
(09:16):
and then sort of headed back to New Zealand for
my kids to do high school and relink for some more.
So it's been a pretty cool journey, and I've done
three World Cups now with some more and now sort
of trying to bring a lot of that high performance
work into the defense force as well with rugby and
within my jobs. So trying to the bridge bridge the
performance world's into defense and rugby and everything as we go.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Amazing, what a journey it's been, and much more to
come by the sounds of it, Dave. The immediate point
of business is swimming fovo straight. Let's hope the window
opens for you and stays open. People can find out
more at your website. What's the website?
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Yeah, look at my website ww dot doctor Dave Swims
dot org dot z. Also look on Facebook, doctor Dave Swims.
I've got a Facebook page and I'm you know, promoting
the swim but also trying to teach people about it.
You know, why we do cold water of ours and
how does nutrition work and all the crazy stuff that
goes with it that people don't understand. So you have
(10:11):
a look at.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
That been a great pleasure catching up with your Dave.
All the best for fou vote and look forward to
tracking your progress as your head towards the guts of
Ocean seven as well. Been a pleasure to catch up.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
Thanks Tony, really appreciate it. And if people want to
get on to that site and have a look, I'll
have the GPS tracker up so you can watch me
chasing those sharks all day or swimming away from those
sharks all day.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Let's open that one. Good to chat mate.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
All the best, thanks mate, thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
No, thank you, Dave. Doctor Dave Edgar there marathon swimmer
and extremely good rooster. You could pick up from that
chat doctor Dave Swims. That's Dr Daveswims dot org dot
n z Dave Swims dot org dot z, or just
look for doctor Dave Swims on Facebook. What a good man,
what a really good man.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk zed B weekends from midday or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalks EDB two twenty.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Six on NEWSTALKSZBB and Weekend Sport. Doctor Dave Edgar is
a man of many talents. He's a major in the
New Zealand Army, currently Officer Commanding Physical Performance Squadron. He
has an extensive background working in rugby as a strength
and conditioning coach for Whitecuttle, the chiefs Man of Samoa,
and also in Japan. And he's an accomplished marathon swimmer
(00:35):
and endurance athlete. He'll shortly look to complete the New
Zealand Marathon swimming triple crown by swimming Fovo straight. He's
already completed the length of Lake Topor and Cook straight.
He's also on a mission to conquer the Ocean seven,
which I'm keen to find out more about. He's doing
all of this to help raise awareness for dyslexia and
(00:56):
those with learning challenges. Dr Dave Egar is with us. Dave,
this is amazing. Let's start with your upcoming swim. What
are the specific challenges of swimming the Favah straight?
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Hey, get a pony, great to be here and me
Thanks for the awesome intro. Yeah, look the FOVO. The
big challenges is, look, we've got the tide window, it's
always the weather. So I'm talking with the boat captain
down there daily at the moment to try and nail
the ideal day it's looking like next Thursday or Friday.
(01:28):
And then around that just the winds, trying to get
the best winds to ride across and water temperature. I've
done a heck of a lot of cold water training.
And probably the other thing that's in the back of
the mind is the old great things floating around in
the water down there.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Yes, I'd imagine that'd be something you'd like to avoid.
So when you are looking for ideal conditions and you've identified,
as you say, a window that might be your perfect day,
what does that day look like?
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Okay, what does it look like? Yeah, I guess we
target these windows pretty early out and it goes off
the tides. You want to ib tide, which is the
I guess the lowest tide of the month or one
of the last of the months, less water pushing you around.
You still go on a high tide, so you get
the flow so you can target that, you know, months
out going off different predictions and tides and day and whatnot.
(02:16):
The challenging point then becomes obviously the weather. You can
follow weather patterns, but you're not sure exactly what's going
to happen at that time. So really it's just being
ready to go, confident that you can do it, and
hoping the stars align a little bit, because if it
doesn't come off, you know, you've got that risk. You've
invested so much. Do you jump in and do it
or do you just hold off a few more weeks,
(02:38):
a few months, will wait till the next year.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Do you have a target time in mind to swim over?
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Yeah, I've looked at this and it's an interesting one
because you can put a target time on it, but
you really I don't want to have a set target
time in my head. And then things don't quite go
to plan and you're getting pushed, you know, one way
or the other, and it's taking a bit longer. But
I really think it's achievable in sort of about eight
to ten hours, all going well close it to of
(03:06):
the eight and it's just you know, sticking to a plan,
listening to your crew, and just pushing as hard as can.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
How does that compare it to swimming Cook Straight or
Lake Topoor.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Yeah, I guess I've had been asked that quite a bit.
I mean, the difference between the fresh water and the
salt water, for a start, is that when I look at,
say I compare Cook Straight to Lake Talpo, I was
probably a lot more beaten up swimming Lake Talpo Wow,
because you sit lower in the water, you don't have
the buoyancy and you just swim in a one big
(03:38):
straight line all day. And on that swim, I got
through it no worries, but my I had one of
my burser and my left bursa and my shoulder sort
of started to not play the game with about two
hours to go, So that was sort of quite agony
because you're sitting lower in the water, you're reaching up
and I was really sore. The Cook Straight not so sore.
Body was in good nick, but I was just really tired,
probably from being pushed around a little bit more on
(04:00):
the tide. So yeah, with the FOVO, same sort of thing.
Tapering Now, the heck of a lot of strength work,
conditioning work, obviously, lots and lots of swimming. Now some
you know, pretty decent swims over the summer upwards of
sort of twenty four to twenty five k's and yeah,
just getting his best nick as I can, and freshening
up just to be ready to go.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
So how long did cook straight take you? What was
the time for that?
Speaker 3 (04:23):
My cook straight time was eight hours forty seven?
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Okay, so about the same, about the same as what
you're aiming for for five Oh.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Yeah, about the same. And again, like I say, you've
got to be prepared for everything. Point to point, cook
straight was twenty three kilometers. I swam eight hours forty seven,
but I covered forty four k's that day.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Oh wow.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Yeah, eight hour forty seven was still a pretty damn
good time, and there was a few people didn't even
get across the summer.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
So yeah, what is it about marathon swimming that appeals
to you?
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Oh yeah, I get asked a lot. Look, it's I
guess I've always been in endurance, an indurance athlete, in endurance,
junkie probably more so. And it's opened up another whole
world for me, because I mean, I'm fifty two now,
I've represented I have represented New Zealand and Trithleon an
iron Man, an Ironman Trithon was my sport did Hawaii
iron Man, and that was me, it's going to be
a pro and I had this career laid out, but
(05:14):
then my knees sort of didn't play the game. Maybe
too many years in the military and caring packs and
whatnot what we do didn't help. But now open water swimming,
because I find, regardless of age, it's not as tough
on the body, it's not as pounding, and it's pliny.
It has opened up this whole new world to me.
In that triathlete, you know, we prided ourselves on being
(05:35):
skinny and lean. It's a whole different world. I've had
to put on weight in fat just to stay warm
in the water. The time in the water, the mental challenges,
dealing with the cold, dealing with currents, dealing with you know,
sea life, just all these different challenges that are all
down to you to push through on that self challenge.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Amazing. So tell us about the Ocean seven.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Yeah, the Ocean seven. So that's it's I guess it's
it's a series or it's you know that it's a
challenge that it's the toughest seven oceans of the world,
any one of them on the given day is a
tough one. So that's sort of the real benchmark of
open water international swimming. Sorry was that?
Speaker 2 (06:16):
No, I was going to ask you how far and
wide you have to go to if you if you
are to achieve that.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
Yeah, No, she's she's pretty decent. I've done the cook straight.
That's one. Then you've got In Europe, there's a few.
So there's the English Channel, the Northern Channel, which is
Ireland to Scotland. In Europe, there is the Gibraltar which
is pretty much Europe to Africa, Catalina which is Catalina
Island to San Francisco, cold waters and sharks to sue
(06:43):
you straight in Japan which is the mainland of Japan
to her Kaido, and Malachai Channel in Hawaii, so all
over the place. I'm really cold, some really warm.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Amazing. What a challenge for you. Why does the raising
of awareness for dyslexia when you're doing all of this
resonate particularly with you, Dave?
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Well, pretty simple, really, and I've faced a heck of
a lot of challenges in my time, man. I guess
it sort of goes hand in hand something that maybe
I used to try and hide or put to the
side and not want people to know. But I've found
ways to get through it. And I mean the endurance sport,
the swimming has just been a really really good platform
(07:25):
to use that I'm pushing this area. You know, I've
pushed myself physically but mentally as well. So hence you
know I have a platform. I swim off doctor Dave swims.
And that's because even as you know, the early challenges
I faced, I managed to achieve getting my PhD. I
never thought i'd have a degree, let alone a PhD.
I'm I'm a proud born and bred took it all boy,
(07:46):
left school, worked in a bush gang. I was pretty
proud of that. But I just, you know, early on,
I thought this is okay, but I can achieve some
cool stuff. And I just kept pushing through joining the military,
got a degree, and just sort of pushed from there,
so advocating learning that we can achieve. We've just got
to find pretty much our own way to achieve.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
The end loop amazing and and I to all of us.
You've worked a butt in rugby as well, tell us
about that.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
Yeah, mate, Yeah, I've had a pretty cool career. I
again talked about my endurance sport, and I went to
Otarger University when I first left the military, and you know,
as we do, I sort of thought I'm going to
get a job an endurance. Then realized that New Zealand
actually had very few jobs, so rugby was the way
to go. I played rugby when I was younger. I
always I was a pirates man. Pirates yeah, and I
(08:33):
thought pretty early this is the way to go. So yeah, straight,
I managed to work with the university clubs, had my
degree and I was lucky enough to get my first
rugby job was back with my boyhood team of Whitekatto
and that was in the early days when Warren Gatlan
come back. So I had some success there assistant trainer
with the Chiefs, and then journey sort of carried on.
I was lucky enough to get the job with Somemore.
(08:54):
I was the manage some wore head strength conditioning coach
for four years, did the two eleven World Cup, and
then off the back of that, managed to go to Japan.
I was actually I was employed by Eddie Jones at
Suntery to look after the Suntry club. Had two years
there and had some success and it was that was
a pretty cool journey. Another couple of years around Japan
(09:16):
and then sort of headed back to New Zealand for
my kids to do high school and relink for some more.
So it's been a pretty cool journey, and I've done
three World Cups now with some more and now sort
of trying to bring a lot of that high performance
work into the defense force as well with rugby and
within my jobs. So trying to the bridge bridge the
performance world's into defense and rugby and everything as we go.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Amazing, what a journey it's been, and much more to
come by the sounds of it, Dave. The immediate point
of business is swimming fovo straight. Let's hope the window
opens for you and stays open. People can find out
more at your website. What's the website?
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Yeah, look at my website ww dot doctor Dave Swims
dot org dot z. Also look on Facebook, doctor Dave Swims.
I've got a Facebook page and I'm you know, promoting
the swim but also trying to teach people about it.
You know, why we do cold water of ours and
how does nutrition work and all the crazy stuff that
goes with it that people don't understand. So you have
(10:11):
a look at.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
That been a great pleasure catching up with your Dave.
All the best for fou vote and look forward to
tracking your progress as your head towards the guts of
Ocean seven as well. Been a pleasure to catch up.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
Thanks Tony, really appreciate it. And if people want to
get on to that site and have a look, I'll
have the GPS tracker up so you can watch me
chasing those sharks all day or swimming away from those
sharks all day.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Let's open that one. Good to chat mate.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
All the best, thanks mate, thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
No, thank you, Dave. Doctor Dave Edgar there marathon swimmer
and extremely good rooster. You could pick up from that
chat doctor Dave Swims. That's Dr Daveswims dot org dot
n z Dave Swims dot org dot z, or just
look for doctor Dave Swims on Facebook. What a good man,
what a really good man.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk zed B weekends from midday or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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