Open Water swimming is addictive!

I got another dose this sunday afternoon at Portrush harbour in Northern Ireland.

Conditions could not have been better for the 2k swim across the Westbay and back.

The water temperature was at around 13-14 degrees and 12 swimmers lined up to enjoy the calm Atlantic wetsuit free.

Read the ILDSA race report HERE.

Standing in Cobh harbour you can see a 42 hectare big island roughly 2k from the mainland – Spike Island (Irish: Inis Píc).

The island is famous for its prison so the well known term “escape from…” was used to give the swim its name.

Not many people escaped the island. In 1921 the IRA prisoner Richard Barrett made his way out of the prison, this sunday Niall O Crualaoich and his family organised a legal island getaway and 35 people were held in custody for a short while.

Perfect conditions made the swim a true experience and the choppy final 500 metres were challenging for everybody.

Wetsuit
1. Brian O’Shea – 24:34

Pictures

There is still no running. Another visit to Cappagh hospital in Dublin was on the agenda today.

After two negative Pressure Studies i had an Magnetic Resonance Angiogram (MRA) today.

A magnetic resonance angiogram (MRA) is a type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan that uses a magnetic field and pulses of radio wave energy to provide pictures of blood vessels inside the body. In many cases MRA can provide information that cannot be obtained from an X-ray, ultrasound, or computed tomography (CT) scan.

Now i am waiting for the result.

When does thing come to an end?

Running is a lot like life. Only 10 percent of it is exciting. 90 percent of it is slog and drudge.

Dave Bedford

Lee Swim attracts record numbers

Balmy weather together with a record entry made this year’s Lee Swim in Cork on Saturday the most popular yet with thousands lining the quay walls to watch the swimmers race the 2,000m course through the heart of the city.

This year’s race attracted a record entry of 347 with some 307 swimmers entering the water and all but two managing to finish the course.

The race was won by British entrant Neil Bowers from Newcastle while the first woman home was Rachel Lee from the Guinness Club in Dublin..

Source: Irish Times

“I really didn’t think it was possible to break the record that I set last year,” she said.

“To do so and to do it so definitively has been incredibly overwhelming. I think I’ve even surprised myself.”

Wellington remains unbeaten over an Ironman course, the long-distance discipline of triathlon which comprises a 1.2-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a marathon run.

Despite having won three times at the event’s spiritual home, the World Championships in Hawaii, she says Challenge Roth is right up there with Kona when it comes to fanatical support. 

Source: BBC Sports 

Former CW Coach Brett Sutton comments HERE