My English Channel Adventure

Sometime in August, I will swim from England to France.

I have always liked setting challenges. For me it's not about being the best at something, I sort of figured that wasn't my lot at community games level circa 1985! It's about doing something to the best of my ability. Admittedly, I tend to win the "Thirty something year old mother of twins civil engineer" section! A channel swim really appeals to me as I'll have to do my very best to have any hope of finishing - and even then i might not make it!

My thoughts were galvanised when Lisa Cummins completed her amazing English Channel double in 2009.

I'd completed the Cork City Marathon and the Tour De Munster and had my eyes firmly set on the Lost Sheep Half Ironman in 2010. Getting advice and a lot of encouragement from Lisa gave me the guts to book a pilot and to approach coach supremo Eilis Burns and so I booked a pilot - Mike Oram - in January 2010.

In August 2011, I took part in an amazing relay channel crossing, a serendipitous event that saw me swim with five strangers, who became friends, and three others from Foireann Snamh Gariabldi are also swimming from England to France this year.


My nominated charity that I'm fundraising for is Down Syndrome Cork and my donation page is Cat's Big Swim - don't worry I cover 100% of my own costs and that of my crew so any donation goes entirely to this worthy cause.

Training is going well, some weeks are harder than others though to be honest there haven't been any easy weeks barring Christmas since I started training in earnest on September 1st! I'm now 6 months into my 11 month training programme and since spring has finally sprung, it is starting to feel oh-so-very real!