Wales Swim

Well I am pleased to report that I simply loved the swim. I opted for the full distance of 3.8 km or 2.4 miles. The route was a triangular loop and if you did the long distance swim you actually do one loop, run up onto the beach and pass the starting point and run back in to do a second loop. I was as nervous as hell, all the swimmers looked so fit and relaxed. I soon got chatting to a guy who had done it last year and he calmed my nerves a bit. There were hundreds of us. We had to all get in the water to acclimatise for a few minutes and then go back on the beach for the mass start. I made sure I was near the very back as I didn't want people swimming over me at the start. I was so far back that it was almost a minute from the start gun to when I actually started swimming. The water was a pleasant temperature. It was a bit daunting swimming among hundreds. I got into a comfortable pace and was soon gliding past people. I can't tell you how much confidence this gave me. I kept the steady pace and kept looking up to the first bouy. It never seemed to get closer and it wasn't easy to swim in a dead straight line. From time to time I would bump into a swimmer or be bumped into. Eventually I got to that first bouy, it got a bit crowded as people were turning tightly around it. I stayed wide so as not to get caught up in flailing hands and feet. Once clear I took a glance at my watch to see I had only been going for 15 minutes. It seemed longer so I was pleased with that. In order to get to the next two bouys we had to dodge a few moored boats. Once at the third bouy we turned and headed for the beach. This stretch I found hard as the sun was low and we were swimming directly toward it which meant I couldn't see a thing when I looked up. So I used the swimmers either side of me as a guide. That swim to the beach seemed to go on forever. Thankfully the bottom loomed in the water, I thought I was imagining it at first. I swam in until it was too shallow to swim. I got to my feet and jogged up the beach over soft sand, under the finish banner and back down to the beach. As I entered the water for the second loop a glance at my watch put me at 37 minutes. I thought that the second loop would take me a bit longer as I tired. At least this time round I knew what to expect. There were a lot less swimmers around this time as many were doing the one loop. I just kept up a smooth pace remembering to maintain my technique which meant I would tire less. I felt really good and knew I was smiling to myself. I was gaining in confidence. As I turned at the last bouy and headed for the beach, I put on a spurt. I saw a swimmer ahead of me and aimed to pass him. I did just that, then fixed my sights on another and passed him. I kept this up all the way in, passing five or six swimmers. I was pretty tired by time I got to shallow water. As I stood up to run out of the water, my legs couldn't keep up with the forward momentum of my body and I stumbled forward falling onto my knees. It felt like I got up in slow motion. The last swimmer I had past , ran past me. I tried to catch him running up the beach, but I'm a crap runner. Then he stumbled and fell in the sand. But he was up like lightning and I passed the finish line just after him. The route up the beach to the finish banner was lined with people cheering us on. My finish time was 1 hour 14 minutes. I am so pleased with that time. I fully expected to take much longer. I am now able to relax a little about the Ironman swim in Sept.


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Location:Tenby