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Swimming achievements at Phoenix
Wednesday 7th September 2022
Peter Emmerson has been dogged by running injuries this year so decided he would devote more time to his swimming and with great effect...swimming faster and longer than ever. He's been a regular fixture in our informal (not Club organised) 7k Wall2Wall swims and has trained hard most weeks at Pells as well as regular sessions in the Sea and at King Alfred.
This summer he has swum 12k from Henley to Marlow along the Thames and was the 137 male finisher out of 438 in 3hrs 43mins and also the 15.5k from the Rampion Wind Farm to Hove beach in 4 hrs 23 minutes. Peter modestly reviewed his Rampion swim:
“As long as I could keep going and rely on the guide boat to tell me where to go then hopefully I could get to the end.” He added that the first hour “didn’t feel too bad” but then the second and third began to "feel like he was doing something" as the "sea got really choppy from half way and there was a strong current to push through". Pete's swimming has improved enormously this year thanks to Liz and Sue's coached swim sessions and his consistent training. He is a good example of how you can make the most of a running injury by keeping fit and improving at something else...he is now back running but is keeping up with his swimming.
Pete (second from left) having completed his Rampion Wind Farm swim
Val swims from Europe to Asia
Val Avella is one the most enthusiastic members of the club and is always wanting to take part in everything...even if sometimes we find it difficult to understand exactly what she is doing!!
This summer she has achieved a lot, successfully completing the IronBourne middle distance race in Eastbourne among other races, several long coastal swims in Brighton and Hove but her big adventure was swimming from Europe to Asia. This swim takes place at where the Mediterranean meets the Black Sea, and can be difficult if you misjudge the route and the current takes you away from the finish. Val swam the 5.5k route in 1hr 29mins and commented..."the sea was bumpy, the wind strong and the sun made it difficult to see the finish line but we could hear the crowds cheering us on!"
Val at the end of Euro-Asia swim
Reminder: swim sessions at the Club...
Regular coached swim sessions on Thursday evenings are now a feature of the multisport training programme at Phoenix. In the summer we are Pells Pool in Lewes from 8pm and in the winter at Roedean from 6pm.
Increasingly, members who might consider themselves mainly runners are coming to the swim sessions as a form of cross training. Coached sessions cost just £5 and are open to non members while there are spaces available. For more information email Geoff Pike