Fantastic view of Raewyn from the IRB Please list your Ultra-Marathon swim Cook Strait Swim date: 23 March 2021 Time: 10h18m Distance: 26.4 km Age: 51 years Neutral Observer: Philip Rush Please tell us something unique about your achievement. Tell your story The thought of this swim has been implanted in my brain since about age 11yrs. While swimming with the squad in Dunedin, I mentioned to Duncan Laing that I had sore arms. His reply was "see that boy over there (pointing at Philip Rush in the big boys lane) he's training to swim Cook Strait and his arms are sore every day". Those words from the wise Duncan Laing, have always stayed with me and also the image of this wee short guy, swimming up and down the pool. From then on whenever I crossed the Cook Strait, whether it be by ferry or by Air it has always been a thought to swim across it. But was only just that "a thought". I think the older you get, those thoughts become goals and as time ticks on you begin thinking, why not give it a go otherwise you'll always be thinking about it. And then it was only because of a friend I was staying with in Wellington, organised a coffee and a chat with Phil that I thought "yes, I can do it". And so the journey began... Raewyn Winsley How has your life change following your achievement?
I definitely feel at peace with myself. It's "my Everest of Swims" ticked off. Amazing how you push yourself through the hard bits. Not sure what's next but I guess I've learnt, never say never. END
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My ultra-marathon swim
Lake Taupo Swim date, 23 April 2021 Distance recorded, 40.2km Time, 12h29m Age, 24 years Neutral Observer, Philip Rush Please tell us something unique about your achievement. Tell your story Using these swims and my social media platforms to raise both awareness and funds for I AM HOPE to support youth mental health How did your life change following your achievement(s)? Incredibly humbled to be doing a bit of good in the world for mental health and spread my story into so many more communities than expected! END Sarah and her magnificent team. L-R, Ely Uemura, Glenda Carston, Simon Olliver, Andreas Aastrom, Sarah, Grant Orchard, and Joe Heberley. Please list your Ultra-Marathon swim(s) Poor Knights to Matapouri (Northland, NZ) Date: 8 March 2018 Distance: 22 Time: 8h15m Age: 42 yrs Neutral Observer: Mike Cochrane Catalina Channel (CA., USA) Date: 22 August 2018 Distance: 32k- 12h30 Aged: 42 yrs Neutral Observers: Steven Robles and Dave Neilan. Cook Strait (NZ) south - north Date: 23 March 2021 Time: 9h45m Age: 45 yrs Neutral Observer: Glenda Carston. Please tell us something unique about your recent Cook Strait swim. After four successive seasons of training with two school aged children at home, I completed a south to north swim of Cook Strait in balmy, beautiful conditions with a handpicked team of awesome friends. Sarah and Mike Cochrane, Poor Knights to Matapouri swim. I want to acknowledge those extraordinary people that make possible these adventures including my crew for the Cook strait: Andreas Astrom, Simon Olliver, Ely Uemura, and pilot Grant Orchard with local legend Joe Heberley supporting and Mike Cochrane for supporting many previous adventures including Catalina Channel, Poor Knights to Matapouri and Hen Taranga Island to Waipu. How did your life change following your achievement(s)? What I love most about these adventures is meeting people that you wouldn't otherwise meet. There is a magic feeling that comes from shared adventure, achievement - and worry! It's as much about the build up, the suspense, and the "debrief" celebration. It's about the training and the strange places that takes you, geographically and within yourself. Sarah, the family swimmer and her young children. There are so many photos I would like to include but I think these capture (1) the team it requires to complete a long swim, (2) the feeling of finishing - elation and camaraderie, (3) the hope to inspire and expand the horizons for our younger generation.
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Waiheke Island to Auckland, Mechanics Bay Date of swim, March 2019 Distance, 21 km Time, 5hours 40mins Kayaker / Observer, Gregory Dunning Please tell us something unique about your achievement. Tell your story I came to NZ as an 18-year-old asylum seeker from my hometown of Kabul in Afghanistan. I am a survivor of the polio virus. I was affected by it when I was a small toddler. which means that I have limited muscles in my legs I love a challenge so in 2014 I took up swimming. It seemed like an unlikely match as I didn't grow up surrounded by the ocean or learnt to swim at school and I have limited leg movement. However, I undertook swimming lessons at the local pool where I use a band to tie my ankles together while swimming. I have a passion for a challenge and I believe that my story and determination has given me a unique position in which I am able to raise significant sums of money for philanthropic purposes. I'm pretty sure that with both these events I am the only one that uses only my arms to complete the swims. How did your life change following your achievement(s)? I have become an official swim junkie and being involved in these events has been a highlight in my life urging me into greater events. END o edit. Swim data
Swim, Around Rangitoto (solo / tandem) Swim date, 12 Feb 2020 Recorded distance, 21.9 km Time, 7hours 31minutes 18secs Age at swim date, 45 years Please tell us something unique about your achievement. Tell your story Swim was observed and tracked by Roger Soulsby of Auckland Masters Swimming, and boat and second courtesy of Simon Freeman. I swam with Susan Sherwen. Swim logistics are always tricky as was the case here with ensuring weather and tides worked for us. Water was a toasty 21 degrees Celsius with a gentle breeze and sun on our backs. I tested a new feeding pattern using rice cakes in coconut milk and raisins which worked like a bomb. Other Comment I’m pretty new to NZ after arriving here in 2018, and am slowly getting to know this wonderful community. We are so spoilt in NZ with our options available for ocean swimming. In South Africa I swam many swims for charity with a group called MADSWIMMER.com including swimming across Lake Malawi 25km, swam across the date line in the Bering Strait in waters 3 degrees Celsius for 6.5km, completed a 24 hours solo pool swim with 44.9km to name a few. I’m keen to get a similar infrastructure up and running here where we can use swimming to raise funds for those who could use the help, or for general ocean awareness. How did your life change following your achievement(s)? Anything is possible, and these long ocean swims really do manage to our life and it’s small stresses into perspective. o edit. Chopper Swim
Swim date, 25th March 2021 Distance, 20km Time, 7hours 25mins Age at swim date, 42 years Observers Andy McDonagh (kayaker), Robert Van Zwam Please tell us something unique about your achievement. Tell your story Having swam the 40.2km of Lake Taupo in 2018 this swim was a challenge to see how I would manage in salt water and chop as I had never done more than 10km in salt water. It was also a privilege to be able to raise money for a very important cause Westpac rescue helicopter. I entered a shop the day after the swim and the lady in the shop was so grateful for our efforts as her daughter had needed these services in the past. It was so touching to see the direct impact the fundraising had on the island communities. My skippers family also utilized the rescue helicopter at Xmas to get their unwell son from Great barrier to Starship hospital...so I felt a sense of greater importance to finish this swim. As is often the way the journey to the outcome is more important than the outcome itself. I learnt that I can cope with both cold and warm water environments and I learnt I have become comfortable in varying conditions, and that there are some awesome people in this world you volunteer their time and skills. How did your life change following your achievement(s)? The more time I have spent in the open water swim community the more I have realized why I am drawn to this sport...the people! The continued positivity, collegial nature, support, encouragement and love that our community offer is a very rare thing in sport where often it is about competing with each other. Open water swimmers just want the best for each other no matter what event you are doing. I also feel absolutely privileged to have had people offer their support in a voluntary way to help me achieve the chopper swim. To them I am truly grateful. I live by the saying pay it forward..and have been honor to support fellow swimmers in Taupo and Cook Strait, and I feel that my support crew for chopper paid it forward too. Thanks. |
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