Cork Marathon Swimmers

Cork Distance Week is a 9-day cold water marathon training event in Kinsale, County Cork (on the south coast) in Ireland. This volunteer run event was started in 2009 and attracts more than 70 swimmers annually. The dates in 2027 are July 3rd to 11th.

This annual event provides an opportunity for swimmers to meet, socialize, and learn from other marathoners. Over the coming years, you will run into your new friends at other swims around the world and probably crew for each other. A place to start lifetime friendships.

For 2027 we are offering a few scholarships for marathon swimmers who can’t fully afford the travel, accommodation costs and CDW fees.

The Natalia Chuich Memorial Scholarship Fund honors her memory: Triple Crown, S.C.A.R. twice, Robben Island, Gibraltar, Coronado, Galilee, Lake Geneva, Hawaii, Paris, Vetreno, Rybinsk Sea, Moscow, Sit River and Lago D’Orta. She swam twice at Cork Distance Week despite some remaining COVID challenges and travel restrictions due to the conflict in Ukraine. She freely gave of her knowledge and experience and the water was never too cold or too rough to stop her smiling. Her passing caught us by surprise and we’ll remember her love of everyone associated with the sport and the challenges she conquered.

Eligibility:
Previously completed marathon swims of 10km and longer.

Booked a cold water marathon swim for late summer 2027: English Channel, North Channel, Fastnet, or other.

Documented a recent training log and future plan.

Not previously attended CDW – we want to offer the experience to new swimmers.

Please contact [email protected] to discuss a possible award – with guaranteed privacy.

Pictured all the English Channel solo swimmers at the 2026 Triple Crown (in lite blue shirts) dinner.

There were many actions and steps that helped Cork Marathon swimming explode over the last 25 years.

One “small” thing probably had a bigger impact than anyone thought was the open water long swim list. This covered swims in County Cork (and a bit of Kerry) and swims by Cork residents anywhere.

It started as a simple document in Microsoft Work to record epic solo swims of 5km +, relay swims of 10km+, training swim (example 6-hour English Channel qualifier, and shorter cool swims/achievements like at the North Pole region. Many swimmers will remember, with pride, the first time their name appeared on the list! It provide inspiration for many and helped many find a **First** and set a record!

At the time of creation there were only a few known epic solo swims of 10km +:

River Lee Dam to County Hall (12.5km) **First** - 1987 Terry Fleming & others

Blackrock Village to Cobh (13km) **First** - 1973 Eilís Burns, Rita Campion, Declan Desmond, Paschal Hedderman, David Joy, Catherine Mahon, Jerry Moore, Frankie Moynahan, Dinny O’Mahony, and others

Clew Bay (10km) - 1999, 2000 and 2003 Mary Horgan

Many years later we learned of another swim:
Cork to Cobh (16km) **First** - 1969 John Earls

There were other interesting shorter examples like:
Roches Point (mid channel) to Crosshaven (5km) **First** - 1995 Mick Aherne, Vincent Aherne and Bart Buckley

The history was interesting to capture, but these swims did not “set off” the explosion of long distance swimming in Cork. The long swim that did inspire the next generation was:

Cork to Kerry (5km as the crow flies - actual swim nearly 7km) **First** - 2002 Steven Black, Maria Blumenthal (wetsuit), Ger Deasy, Tadhg Harrington, Gilliam Lee, Tommy Lee, Imelda Lynch, Nick Mulcahy, Kieran Nolan (wetsuit), John Shop, Bill Steigleder, and Trevor Woods (wetsuit)

Two years later 14 Cork swimmers (5 of the above) signed up for English Channel solos and over-and-back relays which really started the explosion. Steven Black was one of the group leaders.

The long swim list was stopped in 2022 as so many swimmers were doing 5km swims. The last version is available:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/15nzjnefClymcVD-8iVS-02EVog1tsGoQ/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=110324492881548734399&rtpof=true&sd=true

The new long swim list sets the solo cut off at 10km, is continually updated and is available:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZX_nHjmmuqOP6hrbn0WP_uvHFpDF-wDTMh2sYFDxQBo/edit?usp=drive_link

A snapshot shows: 25km Gold (51 swimmers), 10miles Silver (32 swimmers), and 10km Bronze (118 swimmers).

Before 2005 there were no Cork swimmers who had swum 10miles or 25km.

A conversation with an early Cork long sea swimmer gave an interest view of history and present: “I lived on the Northside and on a nice weekend summer day I used to travel to Myrtleville. It was a 25-minute walk then the bus then a 10-minute walk to the beach. I was the only person really swimming those days in the sea. Most were laying on the beach or dipping for 5 minutes. I’d swim for 30 to 45 minutes and everybody thought I was nuts. I thought I was superman. Then I’d walk, bus and walk home. You swimmers today have three big advantages. First, you have local swim sessions, examples, heroes and mentors. They prove that big swims are possible, swim all year in the sea, and provide guidance. Second, you jump in your car and drive to the sea in 1/5th the time my trip took. Third, the economics allow you to travel the world swimming. I sometimes wonder what I could have done that they environment.”

end

Long Swims - County Cork plus some of Kerry Coastline County Cork (plus Kerry Coast/Islands up to Dolus Head) Swims & Swimmers Long Distance (10km solo or 20km relay) Open Water Swims This is the best record of long swims undertaken by swimmers from County Cork (resident at the time of the swim or very actively part of the Cork open water communit...

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