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A Texas geologist set a record for...

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A Texas geologist set a record for the fastest swim across the English Channel from France to England, and proposed marriage to his girlfriend on the way. She accepted.

Peter Johnson, 26, of Midland, Tex., took 8 hours and 20 minutes to swim the 21 miles from Cap Gris Nez, between Calais and Boulogne, to St. Margaret’s Bay, near Dover.

He trimmed 14 minutes off the previous France-to-England record, set in 1984 by Englishman Lyndon Dunsbee.

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Four hours into the swim, Johnson proposed to Julia Hughbanks, 28, also a geologist from Midland, who was riding in the escort boat. The couple will be married next year.

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