Another non-stop weekend for 24/7 with our brilliant Junior Splash & Dash, a great performance at the Gaelforce Great River Swim, and the long-awaited return of open water swimming at Gartan lake tomorrow (extensive details on this below).

Our second Splash & Dash even of 2023 saw 126 junior triathletes take to track and pool at the Aura this Sunday. This is one of the largest events of it kind conducted in Ireland. The participants, from ages 5 to 15 competed in the event, competed over race distances that varied from one length of the 25m pool and one lap of the 400m track for the youngest competitors, to three pool lengths and an 800m run for the oldest competitors.

This was a brilliant event and the club can take great pride on helping the children to get a taste of the sport. Well done to all the children on completing the course (and receiving their goodie bag) and kudos to all involved for making this such a successful event. The future of the club looks very bright!

Kieran Fox claimed an impressive fifth place finish in the Gaelforce Great River swim. He recorded a time of 12.18 for the 800m course. Kieran is competing in a series of the Gaelforce swims over the coming month and has set a high standard on his first outing.

Building on the succes of last year, tomorrow sees the return of our club OWS sessions at the boathouse in Gartan. As before these will be skills based with a healthy blend of race intensity work in there as well. The aim of these sessions is to become more confident, efficient & clever in the open water.

To get the most from these evenings it’s important to watch the video clips sent in advance of each session. To safely take part in these sessions you need to be able to swim 200m (eight lengths of Aura) non stop. You will need a brightly colored swim hat, wetsuit and goggles. Swim buoys are optional. Please bring your own cup for tea and a chat afterwards.

The sessions start at 6:30pm sharp, we need to be ready to get in the water at this time. We’re looking forward to seeing you all out there tomorrow and getting stuck into it again.

Entries open for Gartan triathlon are open. This year the event takes place on July 29 at 10am and features a 750m swim on Gartan Lough, 18km cycle back towards Letterkenny, and then a 5km run along the shore of the lake.

This week’s training schedule as follows:

Monday 6.30pm: Open Water Swimming at Gartan Lough (see notes above).

Tuesday 6.30pm/7pm: Running Session. Final details in WhatsApp group.

Wednesday 7pm-8pm: Lane swimming at the Aura. Online booking/paying available on https://letterkenny247.com/.

Thursday 6.30pm-7.30pm: TT/Brick Session at Foxhall. First bike away at 6/45pm sharp. Please check the marshall roster so you don’t miss your turn!

Saturday: Two groups for club cycle 8am and 8.30am. 8am group will be 3hrs plus averaging from 26-28kph and faster if you think you’re able. Routes will be posted in advance.
8.30am group, route will be decided when everyone turns up so we can see numbers and abilities. Most recent cycle was 90mins average speed 20 to 24kph.

Sunday: Long run or long bike TBC. Transition practice will be incorporated in the weeks leading up to races.
Please remember to send on results and pictures so we can include them in club updates.

A reminder that 2023 club membership is now due.
Visit https://www.triathlonireland.com/ – select 247 Letterkenny and the additional racing and license offers that you require.