It’s not every day you etch your name into the history books but Wendover’s Terry Bonnett did just that on Saturday as he became the first man to complete The London Classics challenge at Swim Serpentine.

A unique and iconic challenge, the London Classics refers to an individual who successfully completes the Virgin Money London Marathon, the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 and the two-mile Swim Serpentine in the capital.

All three endurance events –  incorporating running, cycling and swimming – need not be completed in one calendar year but once achieved, the individual enters the Hall of Fame and handed a finisher’s medal to mark the occasion.

The concept was introduced this year to coincide with the second edition of the Swim Serpentine event in Hyde Park – home to the 2012 Olympic open water swimming and triathlon events –  and Bonnett took the honour of being the first person to successfully tick off all three.

He completed the Virgin Money London Marathon in 2010, while this year he marked the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 bike ride by proposing to girlfriend Lisa at the top of Box Hill in Surrey.

And after making it a hat-trick of events completed, the 38-year-old conceded he was struggling to take his achievement in.

"It is very surreal to be the first person to complete the London Classics,” said Bonnett.

“I heard about the London Classics when we were training for Prudential RideLondon and I just had to enter.

“I had a really good swim and this is a fantastic event. It's very cool to be in the Hall of Fame and the medal is great.

“It’s crazy, I didn’t expect this to happen at all. Coming out of the water and realising what I’d done was quite overwhelming.

“I did the London Marathon in 2010 - I had an injury so I limped around in about five hours which was a bit rubbish for me.

“I did the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 this summer with my girlfriend on a tandem, and proposed to her on the top of Box Hill.

“I shot up the hill because of the adrenaline, and when we got to the top, we stopped at a viewpoint looking over Surrey and I asked her to marry me.

“And now I’ve completed the swim, so that’s all three!”

Now in its second year, Swim Serpentine is a one-day open water swimming festival staged in the heart of the capital by the organisers of the Virgin Money London Marathon and Prudential RideLondon.

Almost 5,000 swimmers of all ages and abilities descended on Hyde Park on Saturday with Bonnett joined in completing the London Classics by none other than double Olympic rowing champion Heather Stanning.

His time of 45:19 was actually just under 15 minutes quicker than Stanning and he admitted his triathlon background may have given him an advantage.

“I’d done quite a bit of swimming before because I do triathlons. I prefer pool swimming to open water swimming because you get that bit of respite for your arms,” he added.

“There is such a good atmosphere at Swim Serpentine, it’s very fun and lively. It’s right in the centre of London too.”

Swim Serpentine is a one-day open water swimming festival staged in the heart of London and organised by London Marathon Events. To find out more about Swim Serpentine and The London Classics, head to https://www.swimserpentine.co.uk/