Post-race update: 19 July 2009
Thanks so much to everybody for donating - as you can see, I've exceeded my target, and I'm sure The Laura Centre will be extremely grateful for your generosity.
The race was truly an unforgettable experience. I went to Cork with 7 other swimmers (plus 3 friends and family) from Leicester. Out of our group, we won 3 medals!! We had 2nd and 3rd in the 50-54 years women's race (congratulations to Mandy Woolley and Carol Homa), and I came 3rd in the 35-44 years womens/wetsuit category. I completed the race in 30 minutes 52 seconds.
I have to admit that when we walked the course the day before, the river seemed vast, quite fast-flowing, and the weather was threatening heavy rain. But on the day, the race organisers and volunteers (Cork Masters Swim Club) did a great job of making us all feel very safe, well supported, and most importantly - it meant we could all just have great fun. The 300 participants included Channel swimmers, former Ireland swim champions, and ranged in age from 12 to 68. Everything went extremely well, and the people of Cork came out in their hundreds to cheer us on. And the Lord Mayor was justifiably proud of his beautiful City in the evening sunshine as we celebrated our achievements.
Thanks again for your generosity, and I'll post race photos shortly.
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Thanks for visiting my fundraising page, and a huge thank you to everyone who's donated so far!
The annual Vibes and Scribes race is a 2km swim through the centre of Cork city in Ireland. 1700m of the race is downstream, but the last 300m is upstream - just to kill us off!
I'm doing the race with other members of the Leicester Masters Swim Club, and it'll be my first ever open water competitive event! In fact, it's the first time I'll have ever done any kind of swim race. I'm hoping to complete the 2km in 40 minutes or less.
I'm delighted to use this event to raise money for the Laura Centre - their work is so important to bereaved parents and children, and they are funded entirely through donations. So please take this opportunity to support a vital Leicester charity.
