- Profiles
Ciara O'Brien
Womens Hockey International, Ciara OBrien who has more than 100 caps for Ireland outlines her development at Railway Union Hockey Club and the commitment required to be an international hockey player while studying and working. This is her story in her own words ….
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- Projects
Irish Amateur Rowing Union
The Irish Amateur Rowing Union are developing the Wet row programme for schools linking with existing clubs
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- Real Life Stories
Ruth Kilkenny
International Badminton Player, Ruth Kilkenny outlines her experiences since moving to Denmark to train full-time. Here is her story so far...
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Alma Hanevy new to Tri
Alma has kindly given her view on her first tri. The Tri took place on May 11th in Clogherhead with the rain pelting down.
Tuesday 11th May - Alma Hanevy
Wonderful Women in Wet Wintery Water
One word sums up my first open water aquathlon experience- BRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!
As a newbie I really didn't know what to expect as I made my way down to Clogherhead with the rain pelting down, but I have to say it was a really enjoyable experience and the whole event was a great success. Standing nervously in the transition area struggling to get the wetsuit on in the cold, thoughts and mutterings of "what the hell am I doing here" and "I must be mad" echoed all around - I was glad to hear I wasn't the only one feeling like I had lost the plot!
A special mention to the handful of wonderful women who braved the wintery waters of Clogherhead - As we approached the start line most of us girls huddled together towards the back of the pack, and consoled ourselves in the knowledge that we would all get a top ten finish....Nice!!! The initial dipping of the toes into the freezing water (some might call it an ice-bucket!) was unbelievably cold. There were a lot of yelps and squeals (mostly from me) but when we entered the water a second time to do the actual swim it wasn't half as bad once you got going and tried to forget that your feet were numb and about to fall off!! The swim was pretty much uneventful apart from being elbowed in the head a couple of times and swallowing a few mouthfuls of lovely salty water. There was a bit of drifting too but managed to stay on track most of the time. When I eventually got back to the harbour, I was greeted by lots of familiar friendly Pulse faces and was delighted to be hauled out of the water, only to realise my legs were like rubber and I was going no where fast! It was a mighty struggle to get what seemed like a vacuum-packed wetsuit off, but it eventually succumbed (after much grumbling) and I managed to get the socks and shoes on for what I thought would be the "easy" part of the race!!
The run was definitely challenging, starting with a few (nice) little hills and then on to a lovely stretch of the beach which was trickier to run on than I had thought, eventually finishing with a more down-hill run back to the harbour. The support from all those who marshalled and involved in the race was fantastic and really encouraging, and there were even a few locals standing out side their houses cheering us on, which was lovely. The whole event had a great vibe about it, and I would recommend the next couple to everyone, especially anyone new to the sport. It's a great opportunity to get some open water practice, in a lovely location. Fair play to all the Pulsers who braved the waters and a big congratulations and thank you to all involved in organising the first Hollingsworth Pulse Aquathlon. Hopefully next time the water and the weather will be a little bit warmer!!
For more information contact
Georgia MacMillan
Mobile 086 85 95 166
Press officer for Pulse Race Series 2010
www.pulsetri.com