DON’T WAKE NESSIE!
The legend of Loch Ness’s elusive monster is enough to keep many of us from braving the deep, dark waters of Scotland’s most famous lake, but apparently not everyone is put off. This August, Monster Swim – the fi rst-ever mass-participation swim of the Loch – will be held over half- and one-mile courses. Speaking about the event, Susan Reynolds, the event's organiser said: “We are very excited to be bringing a mass-participation swim event to Loch Ness. It will undoubtedly
prove to be a good challenge for novices and experienced swimmers alike. We’re hoping that Nessie behaves herself, too!” It’s not just the spectre of the monster that strikes fear into the imaginations of swimmers here, but the lake’s incomprehensible depths. It’s so vast that it contains more freshwater than all of the lakes of England and Wales combined, and at its deepest point is 230m, deeper than the height of London’s BT Tower. For those who aren’t put off, the swim will
take place from the southern shore in the picturesque hamlet of Dores, a 20-minute drive from Inverness. Entries can be made online at
monsterswim.co.uk
CALLING ALL CHANNEL SWIMMERS!
The process of becoming a Channel
swimmer is about far more than putting one arm in front of the other, it’s an intensive process that affects every bit of the contender’s life, and moves them into an elite sociological group. The effects of this process are the subject of a new study by sociology lecturer and keen swimmer, Karen Throsby. A Channel veteran herself, Throsby has set up a website dedicated to her search
for people to take part in the study. “The aims of the research are not only to generate a detailed account of the specifi c process of becoming a Channel swimmer, but also to ask what those experiences can tell us more generally about open water swimming and its growing
popularity,” she told H2Open. To complete this research she is looking for others who have completed the Channel, as well as “boat pilots, coaches, family members, offi cial observers, beach
volunteers...basically, anyone
involved in Channel swimming. As well as observing and training with swimming communities both in the UK and overseas, I am conducting interviews and studying a wide range of published and unpublished accounts, blogs and websites and media reporting, " she said. You can learn more about the project, and fi nd out how you can participate in it, at
warwick.ac.uk/go/ channelswimmer
THORPE SWIMMING LAKES LAUNCH Thorpe Lakes, near Chertsey in Surrey, will be open for swimming training, courses and races from 17 April. Turn up at the launch on the morning of the 17th and you can have a free swim. The venue has four lakes offering a range of swimming options suitable for beginners to experienced swimmers. Facilities include showers, sauna and café. Opening times: Saturday, Sunday, Wednesday mornings 6-9.30am and Tuesday evenings 5.30-8.30pm Details:
nowca.org
MAGIC
NUMBERS Fantastic facts and fi gures we found out this month...
£650The value of the most expensive
wetsuit we tested this month (see page 48)
The minutes the body can exercise at high intensity before it depletes its carbohydrate stores
12,000 The number of entrants in
the Vansbrosimningen Swedish river swim
230mThe depth of Loch Ness – that’s deeper
than the Eiffel Tower is tall! £30,000 5
Karen Throsby in training for her Channel swim. Can you help her collect data?
The amount required for Bude Sea Pool to stay open…
The number of Great Swims
taking place in 2011
19 The number of hours that it took Anne-
Marie Ward to swim from Ireland to Scotland
11 90
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