Sandycove Island is a holy place for irish open water swimming.
No other area is a busier training ground for open water swimmers. The small island at the mouth of Ardkilly Creek on the south coast of Ireland is the hub of countless training miles for dozens of straight of gibraltar, lake zurich or channel swimmers.
Today the Cork Masters Swimming Club had the annual “Sandycove Island Challenge” in the calendar. Close to 300 swimmers lined up to take on the 1.800 meters around the magical island.
As i had not been out swimming since the Muckross Lake 5k i did not expect too much. The start hit me by surprise and i lost my googles when i jumped in the water. Lucky enough i could catch the googles and lost time by putting the gear back on.
Overall it was again a special experience to swim in such clean and challenging sea water. Tomorrow will be round two with the Camlough Lake 5k – a wet weekend!
