Hi Guys,
Hope you’ve all had a great July.
Well, what a month of racing it’s been for both our triathletes and long-distance swimmers. We’ll get onto our triathlon results a bit later, but I wanted to give our amazing squad swimmers a huge shout-out for their incredible achievements. Take a bow Helen Kemmit, Anna John, and our resident swim fish Sami Robertson, who have all been in action.
First up were Anna and Helen, who completed the stunning downhill 24km Finland River Swim (big shout-out to their husbands Geraint and Alistair too, who completed the 12km swim). The event takes place in a national park, where participants may encounter wildlife like reindeer—and even bears. The event is done in pairs and is swum through some of the most beautiful scenery you could imagine. They lucked out on race day with near-perfect sunny conditions, completing the swim in 6 hours.
Next up was our resident swim legend Sami Robertson, who ticked off one of his bucket-list events—the monstrous 48.5km – ’20 Bridges Swim’, also known as the Round Manhattan Island Swim in New York. To say conditions were tough would be a huge understatement, but I’m hugely pleased to say Sami brought it home in an amazing time of 9 hrs 19 mins. I’ll let Sami tell you about his experience below:
9 hours and 19 minutes.
A time that will be forever etched in my memory.
At 23:34 on Saturday 19th July, I completed the 20 Bridges Swim around Manhattan in NYC.
A total distance of 48.5km, or 28.5 miles.
I knew it was going to be tough. But this pushed me more than any endurance swim I have ever undertaken.
Thankfully, the conditions were in my favour. The sun was shining. Not too hot. Overcast skies made for very choppy waters at the start. But it calmed as the swim went on.
After a last minute panic trying to locate a missing kayak paddle in the support crew, we set off at 2.15pm local time from Battery Park. Swimming up The East River, the first bridge we reached was the Brooklyn. Shortly followed by the Manhattan. Then the longest of them all – the Williamsburg.
Ahead of me was Hell Gate – the infamous narrow tidal strait where The East River meets The Harlem. Simply put – I had to reach this point at an exact time. Too slow, and the support crew would’ve pulled me out as I would’ve missed the tide.
But I was on track.
Moving into The Harlem River, I knew we were about to swim under 15 bridges in a space of 8 miles – most of them between Manhattan and the Bronx. The water quality….wasn’t great (to put it mildly).
19 bridges down, only one to go. The magnificent George Washington Bridge on the mighty Hudson. The river that flows both ways.
We were warned that The Hudson can get quite choppy in the afternoon due to all the boat action, especially if there is wind coming up from the Harbour.
I swam past Yankee Stadium, Central Park and The MoMA. The Freedom Tower, in the distance, was the landmark that just never seemed to arrive.
This last stretch was by far the hardest part.
In the dark. Adding to the drama, the support crew had lost comms. The radio wasn’t working, so the pilot had to guess what the ferry was doing.
Over the Lincoln Tunnel. Past Rockefeller Park.
I’m not going to lie – I wasn’t in a good way at this point. But I knew I had to push on through.
Too many people had helped me get here. And I didn’t want to let them, my fellow swimmers, or the charity down. @mndassoc
It was this that spurred me on.
23:34. That was the moment.
9 hours and 19 minutes after I jumped into the water.
My time was somewhat faster than Robert Dowling – the first recorded person to have completed the 20 Bridges swim on 5th September 1915….in a time of 13 hours and 45 minutes. Still a remarkable feat…for an 18 year old.
Euphoria is a word often associated with such moments. Try as I might, no other word seems to sum up the emotion of reaching that finish line. The margin between success and failure is so incredibly fine after all.
I was broken – physically and emotionally. But hopelessly euphoric.
It was an absolute privilege to swim alongside Stu Bowman, Alan Luckhurst and Laure Latham – three incredible swimmers, and even finer people.
A heartfelt note of appreciation to the 151 people that have helped us raise £18,500+ (so far) for the Motor Neurone Disease Association – a cause incredibly close to my heart.
It goes without saying, I’d like to thank New York Open Water for organising everything. But also The Serpentine Swimming Club and Julian Nagi’s swim squad – who really are such a huge part of my life, and have been for a number of years. And to the support crew in Manhattan – you got me there, and I’ll be forever thankful.
Sami has also raised nearly £19,000 for his chosen charity, the Motor Neurone Disease Association. Should you wish to make a donation, please click on this link:
These athletes deserve a special mention because I’ve witnessed first-hand the incredible commitment they’ve shown in training this year. I had no doubt they would finish these events, based on the tremendous focus & consistency they’ve put into their swim training. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a period quite like it, where 3 swimmers were regularly doing 4–5 km warm-up sets *before* jumping into my squad sessions!
Race results
Challenge Roth (Iron-distance)
- Hollie Strawson
- Splits: swim 1:14:43 / bike 5:42:02 / run 3:45:03
- Total Time: 10:51:26
- 30-34 category
The youngster was back at it at another bucket list triathlon race. This time she moved into the notoriously tough 30-34 ladies category. She lived up to the hype though and broke 11 hours for the first time and did a huge run PB. Terrific work Hollie.
The Cotswold Classic (Half Ironman)
- Vicki Hill
- Splits: Non wetsuit swim 40:29 / bike 2:48:45 / run 1:46:43
- Total Time: 5:20:51
- 2nd in the 50-54 category
- Andrew Reardon
- Splits: Non wetsuit swim 41:57 / bike 2:21:01 / run 1:37:01
- Total Time: 4:44:122
- 4th in the 45-49 category
- Nick Betteridge
- Splits: Non wetsuit swim 35:30 / bike 2:26:45 / run 1:41:11
- Total Time: 4:47:21
- 5th in the 40-44 category
- Coach
- Splits: Non wetsuit swim 31:16 / bike 2:42:30 / run 1:52:54
- Total Time: 5:11:06
- 14th in the 50-54 category
What a wonderful experience for me as I return to racing to be able to line up with 3 of my athletes at the Cotswold Classic half Iron distance race. It will probably go down as one of my fave ever races due to the course, the support and the atmosphere. It also coincided with one of the warmest weekends in July so the night before the race they announced the dreaded non-wetsuit swim (although Coach had secretly been hoping for that!). This played right into my hands as I managed to come out of the water 1st in my age group and loved every minute of that warm lake swim. Things were going incredibly well for me until the last loop of the run where cramp kicked in in my right calf which reduced me to a hobble/ walk losing me at least 10mins and a top 10 finish. But I’m hugely pleased to say my athletes faired way better than me and all broke into top 5 positions with outstanding all round performances. Huge congrats gang, it was a weekend to remember and I loved being out there racing with you.
Swansea 70.3
- Oliver Wagner
- Splits: swim 34:48 / bike 2:57:48 / run 1:46:39
- Total Time: 5:29:42
- 50-54 category
- James Daly
- Splits: swim 35:06 / bike 3:38:00 / run 2:08:41
- Total Time: 6:45:44
- 30-34 category
To say this course is tough would be a huge understatement. I rode the bike course about a week before the race and it is one of the hardest 70.3 courses I have ever ridden with over 1000m of climbing. But boy is it fun! There really never is a dull moment on this spectacular course as it pretty much has everything to challenge your cycling skills. It also backs it up with stunning scenery. So pleased to see both our guys make it to the finish line, especially James as he had a far from ideal training period leading into the race. I was also incredibly impressed with Oliver’s performance as he builds towards Ironman Copenhagen later this month. Based on this performance alone I’d say you are in terrific shape to make that next step up for the first time.
Dorney Lake Olympic Triathlon
- Matt Berrill
- Splits: Non wetsuit swim 28:34 / bike 1:01:26 / run 41:03
- Total Time: 2:15:38
- 7th in the 25-29 category
First Olympic distance race for our young gun Matt and what a superb performance he found. Yet again another non wetsuit swim on a blisteringly hot weekend. But Matt didn’t panic and nailed a great swim/ bike/ run combination to break into the top 10 yet again.
Southend Olympic Triathlon
- David Hutchinson
- Splits: swim 30:31 / bike 1:30:35 / run 48:23
- Total Time: 2:54:06
- 16th in the 40-49 category
First race back for new athlete David after many years away from the sport building a business and having kids. A really solid all round performance too to kick this next phase of his triathlon journey off. Hopefully this is the start of big things to come. Great start DH.
Hoka Val D’aran Pyrenees by UTMB – PDA 50K (Ultra-run)
- Kendra Marsh
- Total Time: 8hrs 36mins
- 2nd in age category / 38th women
Well, what can I say about this squad Superwoman, her ultra running CV is just going from strength to strength. This race was the big one for the year so to take 2nd in her category at any UTMB series is a phenomenal achievement. Huge congrats Kendra (and New Levels Coaching).
(News just in I’m delighted to announce that Kendra also qualified for the UTMB World Series 50km OCC Final in Chamonix next year!)
What I’ve been watching this month…
“81 Yards: A Backyard Story” follows ultrarunner Gary Robbins as he competes in a Backyard Ultra, where runners must complete a 4.167-mile loop every hour until only one remains. After running through exhaustion and battling intense physical and mental fatigue, Gary’s race ends in heartbreak when he misses the start of the next loop by just 81 yards. The story captures the brutal nature of endurance racing, the thin line between success and failure, and the deep camaraderie among athletes pushing their absolute limits.
Probably one of the most incredible running events I’ve ever watched. Certainly not for the feint hearted. I thought it was going to be a little bit boring at the start (the characters are quirky to say the least!) but the momentum builds throughout. What a duel I was about to witness…just incredible!
Team out & about this month
My word don’t they scrub up well…our swim ladies looking equally fabulous both in and out of the pool. Can only be a day spent ‘hydrating’ well at Henley.
Huge congrats Viola to for taking her biking strength to new levels this year & smashing a huge daunting training week in the Dolomites!
This is commitment to the cause – getting it done when on hols with the family & kids!
Another big swim completed, this time Louis one of the swimmers at our club. Always deserves a special mention when you do a solo 20km swim in Ibiza!
A weeks training in Colorado is always something to behold, breathtaking views and lung sucking altitude. What more could a triathlete in training want?
Last known sighting of one of our former French athletes Remi…seems things have taken a turn since his triathlon days and he’s been finding his inner Spartan!