10th Eastern Bay Invitational International Ice Mile Swim

THE 10th Eastern Bay Invitational Ice Mile Swim recently took place in Clontarf Baths.

This event has grown to be the largest ice mile event in the world.

An international ice mile is a one mile swim wearing only hat, togs and goggles in water of 5C or less.

The hardest part is to get an invitation.

Swimmers must be regular open water swimmers and commit to swim one mile per week over the winter to acclimatise to the falling temperature while maintaining the distance. They must also present medical report to confirm their physiological capacity to take on the challenge.

Only then are they considered for an invitation – and still the swim in regularly oversubscribed. Since the first Eastern Bay ice mile swim in 2013 the club has presented 57 ice miles.

The swim is supported by Swim Ireland, the national body for swimming.

Fergal Somerville of Eastern Bay Swim Team explained to Northside People just how hard the swimmers must prepare for the gruelling event.

“Four months of preparation and organising that leaves no stone unturned,” he said.

“Fingers, crossed for those months, are unfurled for the swim.

“This year’s event was delivered on Saturday, 29 January.

“25 swimmers, in five separate swims, took to the pool at 9:00am and every 45 minutes thereafter.

“The event went like clockwork, everything went to plan.

“Swimmers were minded and monitored from start to finish and after to recovery.

“The Club is very proud of the tradition it has established.

“That pride is reinforced by the swimmer focussed safety measures applied in delivering the swim.

“Eastern Bay introduced and maintains protocols to guide swimmers through preparation to the extreme challenge on the day.

“The swim, originally hosted in beautiful Lough Dan, is now at home in the beautifully refurbished Clontarf Outdoor Pool – the finest of its kind in Ireland.

“The pool is 40 metres long and requires 40 lengths to complete the 1600 metres.

“This year, the club produced a video showing participants and assistants exactly what to do from the time they arrive at the venue, through to dressing area, getting poolside, starting, and finishing the swim, dressing, and recovering.”

This year, swimmers came from all over Ireland.

The international contingent was led by the legendary Catherine Pendleton from Wales and the gallant Ned Denison from the United States (although Cork claims him for their own).

There were several swimmers from Limerick, in the southwest, and many of these make up the main body of the Irish team taking on the world ice swimming championship in Poland in February.

Organisers hoped that the accumulated arthritic aches from finger-crossing would woo the weather gods to oblige.

The fact that Jerusalem sold out of snowboards and Athens ran out of skis in the same week was promising.

The water temperature on the event was over 5C.

The event would not, on this day, add to its 57 international ice mile swims.

It was missing the magic mark going to disappoint the 25 swimmers and organisers.

It didn’t seem to.

The club delivered the swim, as planned.

Swimmers completed their swims – more comfortably in the balmy 8C water and celebrated with supporters.

Dublin’s first citizen, Lord May Alison Gilliland (pictured above with Fergal Somerville) attended the event and proudly presented swimmers with commemorative plaques to denote the achievement of four months arduous training resulting in a 1600m swim.

That effort is rewarded – it is all the sweeter when the temperature is under the 5C.

Though never a race the swims were competitive.

Five swimmers lined up in lanes waiting for the start time can’t not swim against each other and chasing a personal best.

Swim times for the mile were fast, and undoubtedly faster than they would have been in water of less than 5C. (The coldest temp recorded for the event was the 2.4C in 2019.

Jackie O’Connor (Dublin NAC) recorded the fastest time of all ladies with 26:23.

Ned Denison and John finished in a dead heat with a time of 25:22.

That brought to life a discussion of hours and days (so far) as to who touched first.

Not since Michael Phelps managed to catch Serbian rival Milorad Cavic in the last stroke of the men’s 100m butterfly to win his seventh gold medal in seven tries at the Olympic Games Beijing 2008 by the smallest margin possible in the sport, just 0.01 seconds, has there been such informed debate.

Following review the judges could not declare a margin of even 0.001 seconds.

This was John Ryan’s third time to finish as first man home in the Eastern Bay event.

Every year, the swim awards a red jacket to the fastest man and woman in the event.

Eastern provides that a swimmer cannot win the jacket a second time – a provision not tested in any judicial sense.

John, for the second time, graciously applauded the award of this year’s jackets to Ned and Jackie.

Two other red jackets are awarded at the event; this time to the workers who work diligently to provide the event.

This year’s very proud recipients are Barry O’Connor (Dublin Swimming Club) and Mark Dempsey (Limerick Narwhals).

The jackets are awarded by Dublin City Council’s Sport and Well-being Partnership and were presented by the Lord Mayor.

Speaking at the event Lord Mayor Gilliland told the crowd how proud the Council is to support such a world class event and commended its organisation and innovation in leading safety measures for cold water swimming.

Lord Mayor Gilliland also had great praise for Dublin Cold Water Swimming, now running for over three years, and encouraging swimmers of all ages and abilities to enjoy the sheer luxury of open water swimming across the winter months.

Since November, Clontarf Outdoor Pool has hosted open sea swimmers and triathletes on Saturday and Sunday mornings in a safe venue for the many swimmers; some training for the ultimate challenge of an international ice mile and many just taking to the water for a quick swim, often followed by an award winning breakfast in the adjoining ‘Baths’ restaurant.

All swimmers on Saturday achieved a personal goal.

Notwithstanding the above 5C water temperature some even did personal best times.

One such winner was Mark Rush (NAC).

Mark received an annual subscription to Outdoor Swimmer – the world’s premier monthly open water swimming magazine. 2022 is Mark’s third year to pursue an ice mile.

In 2020 the event was also a (N)Ice Mile (7.2C) and 2021 fell victim to public health restrictions from Covid 19.

Mark also has the distinction of being NAC’s first ice mile swimmer in 2022 – three weeks before the main event the water in Clontarf was a Baltic 4.7C and Mark was one of only two swimmers to complete the distance, in the company of Fergal Somerville (Eastern Bay).

That swim, on a Saturday training day, did not meet the strict criteria for registration as an ‘international ice mile’ as established by the International Ice Swimming Association and cannot be registered. Again the safety of swimmers and compliance with rules are paramount.

After completion of the swim, swimmers departed; all to continue their cold water swimming, most determined to pursue the goal of an ‘international ice mile’ and all very proud of their achievement over the four months.

With thanks to Fergal Somerville, Eastern Bay Swim Team, Dublin, for assistance with this article

 

Swimmer             Club       SI            Time

Ryan, John          Limerick Masters              20014837             25:22

Denison, Ned     Sandycove, Cork               10020069             25:22

Jackson, Adrian SWIM IRELAND 30076064             25:47

O’Connor, Jackie               NAC masters      20030256             26:23

Somerville, Fergal            Eastern Bay Swim Team 10036115             27:05

Hallissey, Frank Blackwater          30040117             27:28

Hedderman, Finbarr       Sandycove, Cork               10019472             27:45

Harte, David       Comans, Roscommon    30071569             28:34

Ryan, Liz               Limerick Masters              10028085             28:44

Cooper, Kevin    Templeogue      20028880             29:32

Coughlan, Sarah                Limerick Masters              20030149             30:06

Pendleton, Cath               Swim Wales        1168432                30:46

Rush, Mark         NAC Masters      20033056             31:01

Bizzell, Darren   Eastern Bay Swim Team 30050957             31:02

Moore, Ger        Comans, Roscommon    30023155             31:15

Dillon, Brian        Limerick Masters              20025058             33:49

Curran, Melissa Eastern Bay Swim Team 30068280             34:09

Hall, Patrick        Templeogue      30076291             34:35

Gregg, David      Eastern Bay Swim Team 30050617             34:36

O’Connor, Barry Dublin Swimming Club   30026632             35:23

Heffernan, Patricia          Glenalbyn Masters          30001079             35:28

Cassidy, Fearon Eastern Bay Swim Team 30067469             37:51

Clinton, Barbara                Aer Lingus           30058260             37:56

Daly, Colm           Comans, Roscommon    10034059             38:14

Murray, Karl       Eastern Bay Swim Team 30069344