Over €30k raised as Sub Aqua Club swim proves a huge success

A long-distance Shannon swimming challenge on Sunday last greatly exceeded organisers' expectations, with 100 participants helping to raise over €30,000 for Athlone Sub Aqua Club.

The idea for the event began to take shape in May and at that stage it was hoped that around 50 people could be persuaded to take part.

As it turned out, all 100 available spaces were filled and others were waiting on a standby list.

The swimmers had the option of taking on a 6-kilometre challenge, from Hodson Bay to Athlone Castle, or swimming 3k and 1k routes which also ended at the castle.

A total of 49 of the participants opted for the most challenging option, swimming the full 6k from Hodson Bay into town.

"This was the first time it had taken place and we were surprised by the level of interest because it's quite a long distance," said Lynette Costello of Athlone Sub Aqua Club.

"We had a 3k distance as well, and then we put in a 1k just to open it up to different levels of swimmers, if they wanted to challenge themselves and give it a go, because a lot of people have started open water swimming during the pandemic."

Billed as the 'Bay to BBQ swim' it was designed to help raise funds for the purchase of a new boat for the Sub Aqua Club's search and recovery unit.

Participants were required to raise a minimum of €100 through an iDonate page and the €10,000 target has already been met three times over.

"We don't have a full tally in yet, but we are definitely over €30,000 at the moment," said Lynette.

"We are completely blown away by that. You had the swimmers' family and friends supporting them, and in turn supporting the club, so it was a double-whammy, and there were a lot of local people taking part."

The one aspect of the day which proved less than ideal was the weather. The heavens opened in the early afternoon, as the swimmers were starting to come out of the river, which had an impact on the number of spectators gathered at the finishing line.

"We were out there at 7.30am on Sunday, and the water was lovely at that stage, but then the wind just churned it up and it became like a washing machine," said Lynette.

"But I was very impressed with the level of swimming - people just ploughed through it."

The 3k swimmers travelled on Michael McDonnell's Viking Boat from Hodson Bay to a marker beside the Lough Ree Yacht Club, from where they entered the water, while the 1k swimmers took the plunge from a jetty along the Golden Mile walk in Athlone.

A number of local companies helped facilitate the event by providing sponsorship.

"Handsome Burger provided burgers for the swimmers and Sean's Bar provided a drink. We had sponsorship from Viking Mike as well, and Carty Meats, and support from the Regional Sports Centre.

"We had great support from people to get it up and running. It's just a pity that the weather didn't hold out because, even though there was a good atmosphere, the rain did drive people away unfortunately."

But given the level of interest in Sunday's event, there's a possibility that it won't be a one-off.

"People are already saying they're looking forward to next year's race!" said Lynette.