The Race Around Ireland –  Details

1.  The swim can be done in the pool, no need to head to the ocean!

 

2.  Each person records their distance every time they swim from Sat Nov 23rd to Sat Feb 8th

 

3. We will keep a record on poolside, just inform a member of the pool team before you leave poolside of the distance you swam or fill in the sheet yourself (located on wall to the right side of exit gate)

 

4. Those swimming in other locations will need to send the distances for their sessions weekly on a Friday night to swimforlife@athlonersc.ie

 

5. We are aiming to get 144 swimmers signed up asap – please tell a friend!

 

6. Once enough swimmers sign up we will divide them into 12 teams – aiming for 12 swimmers per team

 

7. The teams will be formed with each one having swimmers of various abilities so that they are fair and balanced

 

8. We will use info from last year’s challenge or a simple swim test to determine swimmers’ abilities, i.e.  average pace per 100m or average distance swam in a 30 to 45 minute session

 

9.  Swimmers can be involved with us in selecting teams (if friends want to form a team together) but the team will have to include those of different abilities as explained above

 

10. The target for each team is to accumulate distance over the 10 weeks to see how far as a team they can swim

 

Possible targets are:

        550km  (the distance around the coast from Galway to          Belfast); 

        650km (to Dundalk);

        720km (Dublin); 

        840km (Wexford) or

        1000k (all the way from Galway around to Cork)

 

11. Each week we will add together the distances swam by individuals to calculate the total Team distance,keeping track of how far the teams have got and which teams are leading the Race.   Keep an eye on our Facebook and Instagram pages for updates on Teams progress.

 

12.  The last individual swims take place on Sat Feb 8th, after which all Teams distances are calculated in advance of the Finale the next day.

 

13. The Finale event takes place on Sunday Feb 9th when the pool will be closed to the public/members (who are not participating).  The format of this Marathon Team Relay will be revealed at a later date 😊

 

14.  The winner of the Marathon Team Relay will be the team that covers the most distance over the day.

 

15.  The overall winner of The Race Around Ireland will be the team that covers the most distance over the 10 weeks and on the day of the Marathon Team Relay.

 

16.  The Entry fee is €20 and Sponsorship Cards will be available soon.  We also hope to bring on Team sponsors – local businesses who may want to support this cause

 

17.All proceeds will go to Athlone River Safety Awareness for the purchases of a Rapid Response Safety Boat to be based on the Shannon in the town centre