Congratulations to Karen on her 10K swim for Imprezza. This is her account:-
On 7 September I arrived in Totnes feeling very apprenshive. Back in April I jumped at the chance to take part in the River Dart 10km swim. It would be the perfect opportunity to push myself out of my comfort zone whilst raising some money for Imprezza Academy. After buying a wetsuit, I jumped in at Goodrington and started swimming. I soon realised that 1) I didn’t know how to swim in open water, 2) I am scared of anything like seaweed and 3) I couldn’t breathe, so I got back out.
Luckily someone recommended Devon Sea Swim and over the next few months, Rhian, my instructor, worked on my breathing, technique and confidence. We gradually increased the speed and the distance and I met some lovely people along the way. I went from being scared of seaweed, to only swearing under my breath as I saw a big seal swim a foot from my head.
Back to the 7th…
I was shaking with nerves beforehand and a lovely lady from Devon Sea Swim offered to swim with me for the first 200m while I got myself settled. The organisation was amazing and after a safety brief and a warm up I was off. The river was 14 degrees, so much colder than the sea which was a shock, but after that first 200 meters I settled into my pace. 600 swimmers all ploughing down the river must have been some sight, but I was more occupied by trying not to hit other swimmers. After 4 km a pontoon came up where people were handing out water, bananas, sweets etc. We must have looked like chicks in a nest all holding our mouth open hoping for food! As I continued I realised I was swimming faster and stronger than ever before. After 2 hours 39 mins I was dragged onto a pontoon at Greenway by a poor unexpecting man that got the biggest (and wettest) cuddle of his life.
I was shaking with nerves beforehand and a lovely lady from Devon Sea Swim offered to swim with me for the first 200m while I got myself settled. The organisation was amazing and after a safety brief and a warm up I was off. The river was 14 degrees, so much colder than the sea which was a shock, but after that first 200 meters I settled into my pace. 600 swimmers all ploughing down the river must have been some sight, but I was more occupied by trying not to hit other swimmers. After 4 km a pontoon came up where people were handing out water, bananas, sweets etc. We must have looked like chicks in a nest all holding our mouth open hoping for food! As I continued I realised I was swimming faster and stronger than ever before. After 2 hours 39 mins I was dragged onto a pontoon at Greenway by a poor unexpecting man that got the biggest (and wettest) cuddle of his life.
I have to admit there were tears while I was swimming the last few 100 meters as I realised that I had done it! Instead of a medal, I was presented with a gorgeous mug and even better it was full of hot chocolate.
What started as a tough and difficult challenge, has become something I love. The following saturday morning I was swimming from Broadsands to Brixham as a fun activity with friends. A sentence I never thought I would say.
