Wow. What a busy few months. Too busy to even keep up with the blog! Actually that’s not 100% true – I started writing it and half way through my laptop crashed and it wiped everything and I couldn’t face starting again until now!
One of my challenges this year was to swim the Dart 10k (this takes place in Devon for those of you from abroad) It’s a beautiful part of the world and the river itself goes from Dartmoor to Dartmouth. For more info – check out this page: http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/discovering/rivers/dart.shtml
I needed to focus on my training and up the distances – I was confident that I could manage it though. Then back in May time I spotted an ad for a swim through the middle of Paris – Paris a la Nage………the first swim through Paris in 60 years. What a wonderful opportunity and an excuse for a few days away! So I signed up along with a few other swimmers that I know via Facebook. Long hours spent in the pool in preparation – up and down up and down – 25m of repetitive boredom and over hot pool water! Getting back into fresh open water was such a relief – into the Cam or the Chelmer – lovely! About 1 month before the Paris swim a friend organised a social swim in the Nene – the opportunity to do a point to point of up to 10k. I planned on doing around 6k but as it turned out managed the entire 10k and a bit more! The relief that I could manage and still feel good at the end was massive – I was ready for the Paris swim and the Dart!
Then about 3 weeks before the event – the French authorities cancelled it…..they stated that there was a water quality issue and that we would be too disruptive to boat traffic along the Seine…….the organisers tried in vain to get them to change their minds but it was not to be……..So in defiance myself and a few other swimmers decided to take on Paris Guerilla style. We took on the biggest fountain under the most iconic landmark of all!!!
(please ignore the double chins!!)
A video was expertly filmed by Aaron Kitts and our support team included Kate Allen and Christine Newbury ( guarding our discarded clothing!!)
I hope that you enjoy the film – the excerpt at the end for some reason, edited – someone said a rude word and you tube decided that they should censor us!
just before the swim commenced
danger of death? pah – I laugh in the face of death me!
the 3 musketeers!
All in all the Paris guerilla swim was amazing fun and it was a pleasure to spend time with swimming friends! We wanted to show that the British spirit was alive and well and we wouldn’t be defeated by the authorities!!! Oh. And we also made the BBC news http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-19478400
My next adventure was the Dart 10k…. next blog on its way…….
- Paris scrubs River Seine swim race (upi.com)
nicolacourt 