Ricks Basher & Mr A don the Rubber Straight Jackets to have a pop at this Olympic triathlon lark.. 1500m swim, 40k bike , 10k Run
Its 8am on Sunday morning.., we are at the Beautiful Sutton Park , while we are here does anyone fancy race....? 1800+ people did..
short video of the start of men`s race today , Nick is somewhere in the pack..
the swimmers were cheered by the normal Triathlon crowd..
Basher 1st out of the 1500m swim in 18 mintues 58 seconds .. Paul was taking part in team triathlon team event with some friends from Swan Pool
Nick , unlike Paul was being a true man, and was having a go at the full Olympic distance..
swim went well for Mr A...around 29 minutes for 1500m
Finally , after what seemed to take for ever ( actually it was about 4 minutes ) Nick is ready to start the 40K cycle.. he is a bit nervous as is only the 2nd time the great man has used cleats to bike with..Mmmm
Oops .. problem with cleats , is they need you to get up to speed before you try and click them in, go to slow , and you simply topple over like the Nick did, lucky only his pride was damaged, he went on to do 1hr 19 minutes for the 40k , which for a 1st time was a great ride
Nick on the 3rd lap of 4 for the 10k., Mr A is finding it hard, having to stop for Cramp , but no way would he give up ...
Nick running to the Finish his 1st Olympic triathlon in 2 hrs 50 minutes ..a great effort.. next time it was be scary how fast he could go.. nick came in the top 10 for the 40-44 age group
Ricks Good Friend from Swan Pool Duncan Hough was also taking part today, Duncan from the BRAT tri club, is an old master at Triathlon and won the 44-49 age group and came in the top 10 overall
Basher and his team mates, who despite being the oldest team in the event came 7th overall and age group winners on the day ,( Paul produced the fastest swim leg of any team or anyone in the individual events)
its always good to get medal for efforts.. hopefully this will be the first of many triathlons Ricks have a go at , be it in team or individually ..it really was a great event to be part off
Pip’s Channel Swim team (also known as Big Ricks) successfully completed a two way swim of the English Channel in 20 hours and 40 minutes.
Late on Monday(15/7/13) evening , After 13 months of hurt from last year’s disappointment , we have achieved what we set out to do.....
A double swim of the English channel...!!!!!!!
we completed our swim with Bob Cash taking the last leg in total darkness , swimming into Shakespeare beach around 10.45 on Monday evening – its was emotional experience for us all...
this makes it official.. the signing on the walls of the famous channel Pub the White Horse Inn Dover... a Job well done
we wish to thank you all for your amazing support with our swim for Pip and For Breakthrough Breast Cancer ...the last 9 months, at times have been hard, other times very emotional , but most of time all its been Fun, Just the way Pip would have wanted it to be ..;-)
Best wishes and thank you all so much..
Pip`s channel swim team
We successfully completed
a 2 way swim of the English Channel on the 15th july 2013.. it took us 20 hrs 40 minutes we swam to help raise much needed funds for
we hope you think we are deserving of your support not only in our quest to swim the 60 miles to France and back .!, but more importantly we hope we more deserving of your support in our quest to help Breakthrough Breast Cancer with their amazing work to save lives . http://www.justgiving.com/pipschannelswimteam
It’s not the clearest channel route map you will ever see, but it will do until we get the real channel map in a few months time...
We pretty much started and finished in the same spot...
Rob swimming at 4.30 am Monday morning ...
2 hrs into the double...
Our time for the swim
a was a total bonus on the day
But just for the record , this bunch of old men will now get
added to a very small list of successful 2 way channel teams
On the all time list of 2 way relay teams from
around the world,
Our time puts us as the 22 fastest team to ever do a 2 way
crossing of the English channel ever..!!! And 3 fastest all English team...
Being able to join 800 other swimmers at 4.30 in the morning in Henley
To swim the World Famous Henley Royal
Regatta course
Is one of those special moments i will remember forever
Okay, lets lay out the swim for you as we walk down the tow path at 4.14am on a Sunday morning , The blueseventy Henley
Classic is a 2.1km swam over the Royal Henley Regatta course, The
classic swim is a unique opportunity to swim one of the most famous and
beautiful stretches of open water in the world, in fact the event is . Listed
in the Top 100 swims in the world. The Henley Swim is without doubt among the
most iconic challenges..Well that’s what the PR said about the event...let’s
see if it’s true..
How about this a view as you are about to start a swim..!! So
Paul left his home in the midlands around at 12 midnight to travel the 100
miles or so to Henley , and yes we did say midnight .!!! , A key feature of the Henley classic event is that you arrive in darkness (check in around 2.30 am) and then start the walk ½ a
mile walk to the start around 4am and dusk starts......
Paul said everything about this event is like no other swim I have ever done , everything about is a slightly surreal experience, but at the same so exciting to be part off, The
torch-light walk to the start, the mist swirling above the river, the moon full
and radiant, the sun just threatening to burst from behind the hill, gives the
whole event the feeling of a pagan festival rather than a seriously tough
physical test the walk down as the mist came of the surrounding fields ,really
felt nervous and exciting at the same time….
the Greens await there the signal to enter the water.
the Blue wave... are the 3rd heat to go...all are looking a bit nervous as they watch the white wave warm up
The White Fast wave to water...and 4.35. as the sunrise appears, you and the 800 other swimmers most in wetsuits or some like Paul are just wearing costumes are led down the tow path by the torch carrier, then Once the safety briefing is completed you have to enter the inky black water at 4.30 am and wait for the starters gun
The Course . looks Simple enough..;-),
the white wave is off...
it was manic for the 1st 5 minutes or so
The swim its self was hard as the 2.1k distance is held
upstream , to make it just that little bit tougher , the swims are set of in
waves from elite to fun swimmers , Paul was in the performance wave of 120
swimmers that set off at 4.32 am ,
99% of them fast wet suited swimmers Paul was in his trunks , Paul words…the start was manic, arms and legs and swimmers swimming over and through , it was just a big splash for the 1st 10 minutes, but after that it settled down , and it became easier to swim and race ,
also in was getting lighter the closer we got to Henley finish…!! The water temp was good at 17 degrees so did not feel cold at all…almost warm,
when I finally finished..!!! I looked around to the beautiful view Henley …it was truly breathtaking at that time of the morning…
another lovely thing about the event , is once you have finished you have chance to cheer on other swimmers as you make that lovely walk back down the tow path...
it really is breath taking site , to see the swimmers finish in such amazing surrounding, and still you have pinch yourself as its still only 5.15am on a Sunday morning.
and still they swim, wave , after wave...almost 800 people swam this morning, from all over the UK
the lifeguards and safety crew did an amazing job in keeping safe and swimming straight
no better feeling , as when the race is over... to gentle walk back to get changed whilst watching your fellow swimmers completely the Henley classic
Paul pictured with his idol – Graham Bell, 5 times Olympic
Skier,
who also swam at the Henley Classic.
Rick`s Basher had good swim on the day .. somehow he managed to get 2nd place in the Traditional section to you and me, he was one the swimmers who chose to swan in Skin and not a rubber straight jacket .;-)
would i come again and swim the classic..??? absolutely , the whole event from start to finish felt like something very special to be part off.. the event was fantastically run, no problems in parking, changing , leaving your belonging safe, having something to eat before and after the event , everything was easy to do for the swimmer. We loved how you can hand your car keys in for safe keeping and collect them after the swim, that might not sound important to some, but i know its a worry to all open water swimmers , it was a really nice touch ,
all in all , i can safely say this is one the best open water swims i have been lucky enough to swim , with out question i will swim it again in the future , if you fancy the the classic swim in 2014 , here is tip , book early it gets sold out in days.. http://www.henleyswim.com/
Paul's Verdict .. I,ve been very lucky this summer , in being able do 10 open water events around UK. plus 2 way English Channel Relay swim, all have in their own way have been amazing swims to be part of,i loved doing the end to end swims of Windermere ,Contison , i was very proud to do the Swim4life event , but the Henley Classic event has to Be the stand out event of the year for
me...the whole experience from start to finish was something totally different to any swim i`ve done before..it has to be on your wish list of swims to do for 2014 for sure..
The Music got taken off
the Video below so we added again in this version
Here Comes The Sun.....
Until we get time to give a full report on what was a great swim event ,
Maybe the best Open Water swim in the UK..?
this can act as a little teaser to get you in the mood ,
a little Ricks Video of the swim , with a little help from the Beatles...enjoy
( just click on the arrow in the picture above to see and hear )
Welcome to Dover for The British Long Distance Swimming Association
(B.L.D.S.A.) Champion of Champions Race... 15th June 2013..
Its only now our double channel swim stuff has been
sorted and put to bed, that we can finally do some swim events reports that we have been at this summer ,
Ricks are not just about channel swims , far from it...most of our swims are
done at events all over England...the 4th big swim of year was The British Long Distance Swimming Associations Champion of Champions Race held at Dover,s Famous Swimmers Beach ...
Short Video taken when we 1st got to Dover , its around 8.30 on Saturday morning..
(just click on the arrow in the picture above to listen )
Venue for todays Champion of Champions Race...The Port of Dover...
we do the event towards the left corner of the Harbour
starting from the famous Channel Beech.
The swimmers starting arrive , getting changed and warmed up..!!!
which is funny as we are about to dive into a freezing cold sea,
how cold we have yet to find out......
we all gather in huddle to keep warm , it may look sunny,
and it was , the wind was blowing, so as you stand near the sea edge with just
trunks or costume it gets a bit fresh
The Safety Briefing, important in any race,
but for this one , everyone was listening..
Details....
the event...
1st Race...a 5 mile swim. ( 10 laps )..rest then its
2nd a 3 mile swim (4 laps) rest then its
3rd a 1 mile swim.(1 lap) and finish.
okay water temp...12 to 12.5 degrees..! , the wind is going to be strong today ,so conditions could be difficult , so we have the course a triangle shape, to try as best we can to protect the swimmers from wind by using the harbour wall..., there are Jelly Fish out there today , and they will sting..but its only a small sting so should be little or no problem..so with that , enjoy your swims today....and good luck.
Its time...
around 9.30 am we enter the water..!! a bit of swearing ..mainly from the older swimmers..as to the coldness of water ..we swim out about 600m from the beach ,
form a pack..wait for the horn to start,..
All the swimmers almost in line.!!! ...and we are off....
the section of the event is a 5 mile swim..!! however as the wind was strong on the day , the marker buoys were not doing as they were told and keep moving in the wind , when finally they were anchored , the course had grown a little , so the 10 laps done by all was not the 5 miles planned but more like 6.5+ miles...which is tough in 12 degree water...for anyone..
this is Ricks Basher Bates , rounding the last buoy on lap 9...Paul after the this section of the race said it was hardest swim he had ever done , it took him 2hrs 55 to complete it..by this lap i wanted to get out, could not feel my hands or feet, been stung a few times on the face and arms..no wonder this is called the champion of Champions race..., the fastest time was around 2hrs 35 ,slowest over 4 1/2 hrs....and we still had to more swims to do......
After some rest , a few hrs for the fast swimmers , maybe less than 30 minutes for others ..we made our way back into the water for the 2nd part of the event a 3 mile swim , however as the 1st swim distances were now known ,(thanks to gps watches ) the 2nd swim would only be 4 laps , which worked out to roughly 2.6 miles...yippee...
Not sure why, but the 2 section was the toughest ..maybe as i was still freezing cold from the 1st..had all but nothing to eat after swallowing so much sea water...could have been any number of reason i guess.....but most swimmers managed to complete the 3 miles...from the fastest swimmer in just over the hour to the slowest in 1hr 53....
Because time was not on our side any more, it was pushing 5.45 in the evening now , the last section of the race was shorted to 1 sprint lap (0.66 miles ), all the remaining swimmers plus some who had retired from other parts of the race came back in to finish the champions race of in style
last lap of the races.,was you can guess was the best lap of the event...having started swimming at 9.30 this morning, and to be finally approaching the end some 8 1/2 hrs later was reason to smile for everyone...
Sian Mark and Zoe crawl up the beach to touch the finishing buoy which means they can call themselves Champion of Champions swimmers its something not many OW swimmers can claim..
Just a little video of the final few swimmers coming into shore to finish the champions races. (simply click on the arrow to hear the report at the end of a long day )
Ricks verdict from Paul...
Tough...Very tough..., I cannot believe I finished it...
it was only down to the amazing swimmers on the day , that encourage me and others
like me to give it another chance , saying you can finish it .!!! ( for me ,especially after doing almost 3hrs for the 1st
swim I just wanted to give up ) ., on reflection I
just had not done enough cold water swimming this yr , before doing this race, i
had done my 1st swim of the yr in open water only 3 weeks before,
and was only up to hr in 12 degree water , before trying to what end would be almost 4 ½ hrs of swimming in the sea,..having
said that i,m glad i did it and somehow finish , this is a great event...full of wonderful open water swimmers of
all standards who look out for one another , encourage , help and support everyone swimming, sure it’s
a race for some ,but for most it’s a personal challenge to overcome the cold and exhaustion
to call themselves champion of champions
...will I be back....?? mmmm I think I might..Paul
The Race is Finally finished , not all swimmers managed all 3 swims, but everyone returned safe and sound , and ready to try the champions race another time, time now for a chill on the beach to reflect on memorable day ..
there has to be a winner ,and for those amazing swimmers they get the
honor of collecting the champions cups..
The Ladies champion the amazing Harriet Tuck in a time of 3hrs 50.25
James Dougal won the men`s championships
in total time of 4hrs 05.51
short Video of James receiving his well deserved men`s award
Ricks basher collects his 3rd place from Vince
The Charming Mark Sheriden
Winner of the Ladies Jnr event.. the young super swimmer Hazel Killingham
Annabel Lavers.. bel did perhaps the swim of the day.. becoming a champion of champion. in a total time of 6hrs 44.47 amazing swimming
see you at the champion of champions race 2014..??
a fun video of some of the fun and joys
of taking part in one the hardest swims in the Uk..
