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A big thank you to all of you who supported me in my recent 13KM swim across Galway Bay, I finished on Saturday and here is my story.....

From Munster all the way home to Connacht….

The 24 July was a date that I had set aside since January this year, like many other Saturdays during the summer months I was giving up that weekend for sport but this event was special. Since watching the 2009 Frances Thornton Memorial Galway Bay swimmers finishing in Salthill one afternoon last summer, I had pretty much decided that I could possibly attempt the 13KM feat. The more I thought about it, the more I really wanted to do it and I got my name down on the start list in early 2010. Figured I better start swim training…

Although I’m a triathlete, I could never call myself a swimmer. Proper swimmers are those who went training at 6am while in school and competed in galas, swim competitions etc from a young age. These are athletes who have a beautiful gliding technique, an amazing core and a fantastic fluidity in the water that I could only ever imagine possessing. Me? I only started swimming properly in 2008 when suffering with a running injury! I’ve loved the water ever since but no matter how much training I ever do; I will never match those real swimmers!

Last Saturday morning I arrived on a very lonely wild stony beach in Auginish, Co. Clare, here our 13KM swim would commence. It was a very misty, wet, grey morning which wasn’t too encouraging but I was concentrating on the positive, it wasn’t too cold! I had decided a long time ago that if I was to do the swim that it would be without a wetsuit, and I never doubted my ability to opt for my swimsuit and brave the cold Atlantic waters. As I watched about half the swimmers put their comfy wetsuits on, I did look on in envy but only for a moment, and I returned my attention to my tub of Vaseline!

After a brief (very un-glamorous) photo shoot we headed to the water, I was eager to get moving at this stage, and it was a very relaxed start. I certainly was not going to panic, I’d hours of swimming ahead of me, I figured I’d get into a nice pace and hopefully stick with it! Visibility was poor, Deer Island is about 1KM off shore, and our boats were going to pick us up there but I couldn’t see it at all so I just kept swimming. Instructions were for us to keep moving and let the boats find us; I was picked up after about 30 minutes and was quite happy to see the Mayo flag flying high on my rib. I passed through the 1 hour mark with no problems. It got a little rough the further in to bay I headed and although I was swimming strong for the next hour and 30 minutes, I think my hard work may have backfired a little!

At 2 hours 30 minutes, I could see the wide backdrop of Salthill and my boat figured that I was about 1 hour out. I was delighted at such progress but then I began to hurt a considerable amount with the more effort I put in earlier, my left shoulder had taken the stress of the waves hitting me out in the bay and began to cause trouble. My poor hips were aching from kicking hard and began to cease up when I stopped for any length of time so I had to keep swimming. Salthill was not getting any closer; I began to despair a little. Swimming towards the boat to get drinks was effort, and keeping myself upright to drink was even harder, I was sinking quickly. Put it this way, I was perfectly able to fire the water bottle right back to my boat lads at the 1 hour mark but at that stage I could hardly lift my hands up to attempt to throw it up to them.

The funny thing was that when I was swimming, I was ok, not perfect but I was much better than when I was stopped. So I figured that I had got to put my head down and somehow keep my arms moving, somehow! I eventually got word from the boat that I was 1KM out, for motivation one of the lads said, you’ve already done 12KM! That thought stuck with me as the blurry yellow image of Blackrock became clearer and with every stroke, more realistic. There were people, lots of people waiting for me and at this stage I began to smile because I knew that I would make it, with just a little more effort, I would make it. I don’t think I stopped for that last 1KM and I felt like I was powering it home. A life guard paddled out to meet me for the last 200m, I could hear those people, and I could see the steps ahead and a big Galway flag to direct me in. I thanked the lifeguard, waved to my boat crew and climbed the steps with confidence and one massive smile on my face. I glanced at my watch, 4 hours, 11 minutes, from Munster all the way home to Connacht.

The first of the many amazing swimmers made it across in 3 hours, 3 minutes with the rest of us coming across in less than 6 hours. One of the swimmers, told me that he had a heart transplant 10 years ago, what a hero? His story is certainly more impressive than mine; that is an unbelievable achievement. The 23 fantastic swimmers of 2010 were Ronan Collins, Kevin Thornton, Aimee Walsh, Alan Quaid, Alice Flood, Barry O’Neill, Cathal Codyre, Cathal Hanley, Ernesto Antonio, Fergal O’Dowd, Grainne Read, Jillian Coll, Laoise MacNamara, Matthew O’Flaherty, Martin Kenirons, Martin McCarthy, Micheal Hanley, Sarah Early, Sorcha Barry, Simon Flately, Stephen Early, and Susanna Murphy.

I would like to thank IFI Galway who generously provided my boat and a highly professional service from start to finish. I owe a big thank you to all my boat crew for their constant encouragement and undying belief – Hugh Varley, Vincent Roche, Sean Francis, Mark Francis, Loman Forde.

Most importantly I wish to express a massive thank you to every single person who donated money to ‘Cancer Care West’ which is the chosen charity for the Frances Thornton Memorial Galway Bay Swim. The generosity I have witnessed over the past few weeks has been inspirational and every penny will be fully utilised to enhance the lives of those with cancer in the wider west of Ireland region. Further information available on http://www.mycharity.ie/event/sinad_roches_event/

Now I think I can finally call myself a swimmer, not a great swimmer but a swimmer none the less.

Sinéad Roche

Here is a link to a very good nutritional article by Andrea Cullen that helps you prepare for the next event. Might be especially useful for those recovering from the Swinford Challenge.   

http://www.limericktriathlon.com/drupal/files/TRIATHLON_&_ENDURANCE_RACE_PREPARATION.pdf

Can anyone recommend what is the best roof rack to get for holding road bicycles?  Any where to buy one?  I don't have hatchback, so I can't use the system that hooks on the back. I have a roof rack, so thought about just getting the contraption that goes on the roof and hold the bike upright. Any advice would be much appreciated rees.qs@gmail.com Thanks.

Click below to read James remarkable story.

Jimmy the legend!!!

 This might be of interest so members.

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