Karen Reynolds and Serena Friel pictured at Athlone Castle this evening after they had completed their swimming challenge from Lanesborough to Athlone.

Athlone women complete historic Lough Ree swim!

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Local women Serena Friel and Karen Reynolds swam into their home town of Athlone to a heroes' reception earlier this evening as they became the first females to swim the length of Lough Ree.

The pair embarked on their epic swimming challenge from Lanesborough at 7am and made excellent progress throughout the day, arriving at Athlone Castle earlier than anticipated at just after 5pm.

This video captured the moment when they swam under the town bridge to be greeted by friends, family and supporters:

Serena, from Coosan, and Karen, from Iona Park, were taking part in more-than-32km swim in support of the new RNLI Life Boat Station at Coosan Point.

So far, just under €5,000 has been raised on their fundraising page, which can be found here.

* For more reaction and photos, see next week's Westmeath Independent.

Adrian Cusack
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