Environment Transportation This Woman Tried Crossing the Irish Sea in a Giant Inflatable Hamster Wheel By Michael d'Estries Writer State University of New York at Geneseo Michael d’Estries has been writing about science, culture, space and sustainability since 2005. His writing has appeared on Business Insider, CNN, and Forbes. our editorial process Michael d'Estries Updated October 08, 2019 Lindsey Russell attempted to cross the Irish Sea in an inflatable zorb to raise money for Sport Relief, which is a charity telethon run by Comic Relief and BBC Sport. (Photo: Greg Whyte/Twitter) Share Twitter Pinterest Email Transportation Active Automotive Aviation Public Transportation While plenty of athletes have taken on the challenge of swimming the 20-mile-wide Irish Sea, Lindsey Russell is most definitely the first to do it in a giant inflatable hamster wheel. The 25-year-old, encased in a contraption more commonly known as a "Zorb," undertook the journey in support of the biennial U.K. charity event Sport Relief. “I’ve been training for months for what will be the biggest and best challenge of my life, but I don’t think anything can prepare me for what the Irish Sea has in store,” she told the Belfast Telegraph. “Something I do know is that I’ll give it everything I’ve got — I am so determined to make it to Scotland and I hope it inspires everyone watching to get up and get involved with Sport Relief this year.” Unfortunately,, she was forced to abandon the challenge about 8.5 hours into the roughly 14-hour journey because of worsening weather conditions.