CEO Jonathan Shaw to take on 37-kilometre swim around Gozo

Jonathan Shaw, CEO at Retail Marketing Ltd, will be taking on the 37-kilometre swim around Gozo hosted by Ocean Festival on 1st July 2024.

The 37-kilometre swim is Malta’s first ultra-distance open water event, and can be completed either as a solo swim, or as part of a team. It will start from Ħondoq ir-Rummien, and will see swimmers swim around Gozo clockwise.

Mr Shaw recently announced his participation in the event, having shifted his focus from swimrun – a sport which sees participants traverse a series of islands by swimming and running – to open-water swimming, after suffering from a series of ankle injuries and surgery.

“Reflecting on the past year, I’ve learnt the value of personal accountability and finding alternative paths when faced with challenges,” he said. Mr Shaw remarked that the journey in preparation of the event is both physical and mental, “but it’s in these challenges that we discover our resilience and determination.”

He added that publicly talking about these goals and challenges is very personal, yet he feels that by sharing this goal, it also helps in making one create “bigger personal accountability and focus.”

“You’re putting yourself out there and, in a situation where failure is as much of a possible outcome as success. But this added pressure and accountability, managed properly, can give you that extra edge to hang in there. To hang in there when everything else is telling you to stop,” Mr Shaw continued.

Since his announcement, Mr Shaw has embarked on long swim sessions in order to prepare for the event, tracking them to monitor his progress.

Last weekend, he managed to swim 17 kilometres in under five hours, split into three-kilometre laps in order to feed every 45 minutes.

In his latest post, he said that this challenge is serving as an opportunity for him to “reboot mentally and physically for the workweek ahead.” While Mr Shaw remarked that while it is “not always easy” and there are many times when one may overthink something and question themselves, “just like any work project, one has to stick to the plan and trust the process.”

Mr Shaw is a seasoned retail industry professional with expertise in new business development, high level marketing, and business transformation. At Retail Marketing Ltd, he oversaw the launch of the Welbee’s supermarket chain following the merger of a number of supermarkets in 2021.