The Rottnest Swim has come and gone and there were some great performances from Trench Health athletes:

Rotto Reports

KAREN HEAGNEY - 7hrs 24mins  SOLO

After 5 months of training, the day had arrived.  I, along with 150 or so other "white caps" lined up at the start line, with nervous anticipation, and stared out into the darkness and wondered what the day would hold.  The weather forecast wasn't brilliant but at least this year, we'd be going.  There was a 10 second countdown, the gun went, and we were off.  I was lucky enough to find my paddler pretty much straight away and then, on cue at the 1km buoy, we linked up with our support boat.  (Phew - that was the first task out of the way). Surprisingly, the first few km's went rather quickly and it didn't take me too long to fall into a nice rhythm. I wasn't exactly racing as such - I just wanted to make it. In fact I was erring on the side of caution as I had a dicky shoulder that had played up the week prior and I was forever worried about the real risk of hypothermia.  My support crew were nothing short of awesome.  Religiously stopping me every 15 minutes to feed and give me encouragement. I was loving this!  At about the 7km mark I started to feel quite cold and this played on my mind a bit.  Especially as my jaw was really beginning to shake.  I hadn't expected this to happen so soon into the race and yet didn't want to complain as I knew it would only get worse when the sou'westers came along later in the day. I already had 2 silicone caps on so I put on a 3rd and had a drink of ginger tea.  Thankfully it was then that the sun came out and this was a real blessing.  It lit up the ocean floor and I was amazed at how pretty everything was and really began to relish being part of this amazing ocean race.

The 10km buoy was a milestone to celebrate and called for more ginger tea, pikelets and a couple of photos. Then I was off again. Cool - I was now closer to Rottnest than I was to Cottesloe!!  Between 10 and 15km I just had to keep the arms rolling over and not think about the finish line, nor look up at the island.  At about 16km I have to admit, I got a bit edgy, wanting to get to the island faster than I appeared to be.  I satisfied myself with the fact that I had less than a training session to go!  One of my friends jumped in and swam with me for a bit which was a real comfort.  It gave me something to focus on as I tried to match her smooth strong strokes.  At 18km I had a minor drama. My right calf cramped into a complete lock.  I'd been stretching every time I took on fuel but this was lock that didn't seem to want to release.  "Oh gee - not now".  But nothing was going to stop me. I took another tea with some magnesium and then just got myself back on my belly and used my arms.  Eventually, the cramp subsided.  Not long after, as required, my support boat pulled away. They'd been constantly on the phone to family and friends and relayed to me that they were all on the beach waiting. I was really excited now, especially as I could see the island so clearly.  Karl, my paddler, stayed with me right up until the last 400m.  Navigating through the flotilla of boats that were now gathering in Thompson Bay.  He gave me one last drink, said "good luck, enjoy" and then he was gone too. Now I was on my own and nearly there!  I was about to realise my dream.  I saw the finish arch, put my feet down, and was overjoyed to feel the sand beneath my feet. I jogged up, through the arch and heard the timing chip beep.  7hrs 24 minutes.  I'd made it. Woohoo!

Paul and Erin – MIXED DUO

Paul and Erin, 6:36 mins 50th place , 4th position in mixed teams 75+  Team name 50/50, so 50th place quite fitting,

Thanks for the program peter we changed from six minute change overs to eight minutes for 15 klm and then five mins for last 5kms. And thanks to flat coke and a few” Mars bars” by Erin , we blasted to the finish line

Gail Parsons  and David Corney - 6.59.31 MIXED DUO

The team "60/40":
Gail Parsons experienced swimmer with multiple teams, duos and a solo to her name.
David Corney only learnt to swim in 2000 and has one team swim under his belt. 

Conditions - the breeze was a SSE, the sea was from the SW and caused a few problems when breathing on the left side.  David only breathes on the left side so that was a bit of a problem for much of the day. You would get pretty good at breath control after a while. The southerly breeze kept much of the fleet, including us, on the northern edge of the course for most of the time..resulting in congestion at the boundary markers.  Eventually this gave us a good line in past Philip Rock with no extra distance swum.

The swim - we made the half way point in just under 3 1/2 hours and were feeling good maintaining a stroke rate of 62-66 strokes per minute.  At that point though, the stingers were released and for the next few k's did a bit of underwater swearing.   The chop increased as we closed in on Rotto, but once around Philip Rock, the water was calm and great for swimming that final leg at what felt like a sprint (speed perhaps didn't change much).

Our goal - to finish and to complete the crossing in under 7 hours and made it in 6.59.31.  We were both swimming quite strongly at the end and beside a bit of chafing and sunburn were in good condition and ready for a celebration.

Thanks - we would not have made it without the support of Curly our skipper and assistant skipper Barry, Ryan and Eleanor our paddlers who both paddled the whole distance.  Thank you so much team.

One more thing I should have included was a thanks to the coach (that being you, oh and bit of Erin) and perhaps the comradeship within the squad.

Ray Steffanoni – 7.13 SOLO

For me it was a swim of two halves, I managed the first 10kms in good shape.  The second 10kms was a physical and mental challenge, especially in the 12-13km area.  A real positive was the later than forecast sea breeze.  I was expecting it from early on so at each pit stop it was a boost to see the breeze was holding off.  Big thanks to a fantastic support crew.

In 2006 I completed the solo in 10 1/2 hours, in 2008 it took 7 1/4 hours.  So should there be another solo in me I'll be on track to break the race record!!

Geoff Wilson

Category: Male solo
Result: 23rd o/a in a time of 5:58:14

I have previously completed 5 team crossings but this was my first solo and for me, this swim went according to plan.  To a large extent that was a result of training with experienced solo swimmers for the past couple of years and taking-in their advice, experiences and training programs.  This really did pay dividends during the race as there were no real surprises, particularly when my mind and body went through different phases it just felt like it was meant to happen.

Talking to most experienced solo swimmers they will tell you that the hardest part of the race is the last few kilometres and based on my own recent experience that was certainly the case for me also.  But once again, I was prepared for it and when that feeling of wanting to just climb on board the support boat kicked-in at the 17km mark, I knew everyone else was feeling the same – so I was able to just get on with it!

I pulled-up pretty well at the end of the race - better than expected actually, but my shoulders were particularly sore on Saturday night to the point were I couldn’t lie down or find a comfortable position other than sitting or standing.  I swam again on the Monday after the race and I think that helped and within a couple of days everything was fine. 

One of my biggest concerns leading up to the swim was keeping warm during the race.  In my previous team crossings I felt the cold quite a bit, but a combination of a warmer that usual ocean (who said global warming was a bad thing?) and a new FINA approved swimming suit meant my body temperature felt stable the entire distance.  I also kept my drink stops very short (5-10 seconds) but frequent (every 20 minutes).

I have been asked if I would do it again.  If I was posed that question at the 17km mark I would say definitely not!  But ask me a few days after the swim and I would have to say there is every chance!