It wasn't the best of days, weatherwise, to swim a mile in 14
degrees water but there was no stopping these swimming enthusiasts! Husb and I were full of admiration for them all. The Great Salford Swim was superbly organised, just very, very, very cold.
Matt Baker and the 5 times Olympic Champion "ledge" Ian Thorpe were commentating from the quayside, they didn't look too warm either but they were both exceedingly handsome. We expected the Thorpedo to be bigger, and our first reaction was to look at his feet which seemed quite a normal size too.
Thorpey has announced his retirement-from-retirement
after visiting the Aquatics Centre in London and is now training for the 2012 Olympics... but Matt couldn't persuade him to join in the race...
The Pixen had entered the sub 30 minute wave which was the fastest wave of the day, here they are warming up.
Ian Thorpe started them off with a ready steady go and they plunged into the water with admirable courage and enthusiasm. They had been warned quite emphatically beforehand that if anyone hadn't made it to the half way buoy by 15 minutes they would be pulled out. This was because the men's elite swimmers were starting their race at 2.20pm.
No pressure then? !
There was live coverage on BBC2 that afternoon, we saw some very high tech cameras and have since watched the programme, it was excellent.
Here is the Pixen (top right) swimming along Mariners Canal, easily distinguishable from all the other wet-suited, orange-hatted, heads-down mass of swimmers (!) by her Livestrong yellow armband and the pink flashes on her shoulders.
SHE DID AN AMAZING TIME OF 23 MINS 20 SECS, A MINUTE FASTER THAN LAST YEAR!
11TH FEMALE TO FINISH....WHOOPIDOO!!
40TH OVERALL...........WHOOP WHOOP!!
David Carry, Olympic swimmer, mens elite group.
Mens elite group.
Tom Allen , ex Upton High School, did a fantastic swim, coming 4th in the mens elite, lost his purple hat though, a "one to watch" for the future!!
(He recently won the European Juniors Open Water 5km Championships.)
(Stuart Clamp has high hopes for him in the 2012 Olympics)
Pixen deserved more than a medal after the drama of this weekend.
The clutch went on her journey home, resulting in an embarrassing 70 mile rescue and tow. Undeterred and determined to swim, she caught the next train home which nearly ended in disaster when she missed her connection. (Friday 13th?? YES IT WAS) Today the weather was cold and wet and we had to do battle with the Manchester funrunners too, some of the roads were closed.
But hey, she got her medal and was 11th female to finish.
FANTASTIC!!
and SHE LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT, ESPECIALLY MATT AND THE THORPEDO.
