ICAN’T SWIM, ICAN’T RUN, ICAN’T CYCLE
Posted on August 1, 2011
12 brave ICANners took to the waters, pier and streets of Dun Laoghaire on Sunday 31st July in the Focus Ireland Triathlon, raising €3,303 (our total so far!) to help people facing homelessness. A massive congratulations to all involved, particularly for getting up so early to get there (and for managing to stay out so late afterwards. True ICAN stamina.)
This was ICAN’s debut relay triathlon, a bright idea devised by ICAN’s very own Iron Man, Ian MacFarlane. All teams were picked randomly, and were a pretty mixed in terms of ability and training! Some spent weeks building up mileage, stamina and speed, but for others, a couple of trips to the beach was the extent of it, and a lot of posing in rubber.
Registration was from 6am – 7am on Sunday morning, which was no mean feat for people coming from Malahide and Skerries. The gang looked great in their ‘ICAN’T’ t-shirts, designed by Ger Hughes, that generated a lot of encouragement from the crowd, as supporters helpfully yelled; ‘You CAN cycle, you CAN!!’
The Race
First off was the swim. A 750m course had been laid out with 4 huge buoys in a square in Dun Laoghaire Harbour. The water was pretty calm on the way out, but turning across between the buoys around the half-way mark was pretty choppy. A lot of seawater was swallowed!! All swimmers made it round in respectable times, without swimming off in any weird directions, getting abducted by seals or needing to be rescued! And, Lizzie made it up the steps just one second in front of Patrick McConville…
Once finished, the swimmers ran over to the holding pen in the transition area where the cyclists were waiting to be released. Then off they flew, legging it to grab their bikes to take their part in the race. The cycle route involved 4 laps of Dun Laoghaire to Blackrock. Thankfully, all made it round without getting lost, getting off or getting disqualified!
When they’d finished their loop, each cyclist dashed back to the holding pen, releasing the poor runners, frozen by the wind at this stage. The run was 5k, encompassing two laps of the pier, and the supporters were treated to some fierce competition in the run up to the finish: Pat, who’d been left till lonely last in the holding pen, managed to fly past John (as he was reaching for a cup of water), and Sinead sprinting on past Sam towards to the finish line!
Well done to everyone involved: Ian for organising it (and successfully conscripting so many ‘volunteers’, Ger for the T-shirts, everyone for their training and participation and to all our sponsors for their generous donations. Lastly, thanks to all the supporters who made it out to watch – and those who came to help us celebrate after!
Results
OVERALL | CAPTAIN | SWIM | CYCLE | RUN | TOTAL | Sponsorship |
53rd | Patrick | Patrick 16.55 | Gordon 41:49 | Sinead 21:09 | Total 1.21 | €855 |
86th | Ian | Ian 14:02 | Anto 42:20 | Sam 29:39 | Total 1:27 | €760 |
115th | Cathal | Cathal 18:50 | Ger 51:26 | Pat 20:43 | Total 1:32 | €740 |
125th | Lizzie | Lizzie 16:54 | Ciaran 49:10 | John 25:27 | Total 1:34 | €948 |
If you’d like to sponsor us – our pages our still open for taking donations! Just click on the team captain’s name.
Next Challenge
Four Peaks in June anyone?
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