The Sri Chinmoy National Capital 10km Swim 2023
Report by Greg Gourley
After a cool November and then a week of heavy rain and gloomy weather, the Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim 10km event was held under beautiful conditions on Sunday, 3 December 2023.
Our club had two solo competitors. Belinda Bredell who was undertaking her first marathon swim in the solo wetsuit category, and Greg Gourley in the solo non-wetsuit category, who has completed this event a dozen or so times, mostly when the event was 9.4 km and a couple of times at the newer 10km marathon distance.
How many swimmers take part in this event? We are glad you asked! This year there were 37 soloists and 6 teams. Everyone who started also finished the event.
Anyone who reads the Friday swim sets would have some insight into Greg’s 10km swim preparation. Belinda’s preparation was interrupted by a trip to Florida in November and she only arrived back in Australia shortly before swimming in the event. Like a true champion, Belinda still managed to train sufficiently and complete the event.
In addition to the published Friday set, Greg’s event preparation included a couple of 3, 4, or 5 solo swims each week (long course), and then in November, the Friday set was moved to Lake Burley Griffin to get a little open water practice and to get used to the (cool) conditions. A non-club member - Graeme - who was also undertaking the solo swim joined Greg at Stromlo and then in the lake. Greg would like to pay tribute to Rod Bransgrove (a former club coach and club member) who for safety, paddled a kayak at our lake training sessions and was also Greg’s paddler for the 10km event. Another former club member, Nicolee Martin, who has also completed this swim several times also joined us for some of the lake-based training.
Our club has had many participants in this event as soloists and in relay teams of 2 to 4 swimmers. If you are interested and go through the event records, you may spot a few familiar names.
If this type of event interests you, you might consider one of the events being run in Lake Burley Griffin on 18 February 2024, where the Sri Chinmoy Lake Swims event holds swims over 5 km, 2.5 km, or 500m.
Congratulations again to Belina for completing her first marathon swim and thanks to Rod for being Greg’s paddler. We hope to see a few club members at the February event.