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Limerick Narwhals win big at the Ice Swimming World Championships

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Limerick Narwhals Ice Swimming Champions – pictured above is Ram Barkai and Mark Dempsey

Limerick Narwhals win big at the Ice Swimming World Championships

By I Love Limerick correspondent Ava O’Donoghue

Limerick Narwhals Ice Swimming

Limerick Narwhals at the Ice Swimming World Championships in Glogow, Poland


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Limerick Narwhals have had huge success at the Ice Swimming World Championships in Glogow, Poland.

The Ice Swimming Championships is a swimming competition done in a 25-meter pool where water temperatures are below 5 degrees Celsius.

The competition is run by the International Ice Swimming Association and began on Friday, February 4 and ran until Sunday, February 6.

The races at the competition consist of 50/100/250/500/100-meter freestyles, the 50/100-meter breaststroke, the 50-meter butterfly, the 50-meter backstroke, the 100-meter individual medley and more.

Ger Purcell, a Guinness record holder was one of the winners who received a bronze medal alongside ice ironman Alan Gleeson and Liz Ryan.

Liz Ryan and Brenda Cosgrove brought home gold.

Over the three days, the Narwhals received 3 gold, 6 silver and 13 bronze with an overall of 18 medals.

Limerick Narwhals are a group of swimming enthusiasts that formed in 2016 who swim all year round in Limerick City and County.

“I’m overwhelmed but not surprised, they put a lot of work in,” said Mark Dempsey of Limerick Narwhals commenting on the Limerick Narwhals success at the competition.

“We have a great team and a great team of supporters as well. As one of the lads say, ‘it takes an army to run this kind of a programme.”

When the Limerick Narwhals participate in these competitions, they need to look out for one another because hypothermia is very possible in those conditions.

“The race itself is one part but the training and getting changed in the back of a car while it’s raining down on top of you when it’s 2 degrees, it can be hard,” added Mark. 

Limerick Narwhals have been working alongside Limerick City and Council to reopen the Corbally baths for both the public and to also allow the Limerick Narwhals to have a local space to train for these competitions.

Limerick Narwhals currently have to travel to Castleconnell to train for competitions when it is not ideal when such a local area could be utilised.

For more information on the Limerick Narwhals go HERE

For more stories on the Limerick Narwhals go HERE

 

 

Richard is a presenter, producer, songwriter and actor. He was named the Limerick Person of the Year (2011) and won an online award at the Metro Éireann Media and Multicultural Awards (2011) for promoting multi-culturalism online. Richard says that the ilovelimerick.com concept is very much a community driven project that aims to document life in Limerick. So, that in 20 years time people can look back and remember the events that were making the headlines.