Open water swimmer and author Nuala Moore is one of a number of Irish nominees in the World Open Water Swimming Association (WOWSA) awards.
Irish para swimmers Nicola Doran and Patricia Heffernan, Leinster-based swimmer Brianna Jackson and senior male swimmer Barry Murphy have also been nominated, as have several Irish events.
The closing date for the public element of the vote, which accounts for 25 per cent in each of the six categories, is on Wednesday, January 31st.
Moore is author of “Limitless”, which is described in the nomination list as a memoir by an Irish swimmer who has conquered some of the most challenging waters on the planet.
“ She shares her journey from jumping off her father’s fishing boat in Dingle Harbour to swimming across the Bering Strait and the Drake Passage. She also reveals the mental and physical challenges of ice swimming and how she finds her true north in the sea,” it says.
Moore’s book is one of ten nominated in the “Product/Service of the year” category on the WOWSA website.
Also among Irish nominees are Nicola Doran, an Irish para swimmer, who achieved significant milestones in 2023.
She competed in the IISA 5th World Championship in Samoëns, France, where she won three gold and three silver medals. Doran completed an ice mile in Lake Wörthersee, Austria, in a time of 35 minutes. She became the first swimmer to complete the 65 km length of the Ards Peninsula in Northern Ireland raising funds for the Riding for the Disabled Causeway Coast and Glens.
Patricia Heffernan, a 60-year-old deaf Irish open water and ice swimmer from Dublin, successfully completed four marathon swims: the Fastnet swim, Galway Bay, the Kish Lighthouse swim, and the route from Dun Laoghaire Harbour to Greystones. Her achievements in the year also included winning an age group bronze medal at the IISA 5th World Championship in Samoëns, France.
In 2023, Barry Murphy was honoured with the ILDSA Male Senior Swimmer of the Year award for his achievements in long-distance swimming. He completed both the Irish Triple Crown and the Original Triple Crown in 2023. This accomplishment earned him a Guinness World Record as the “Oldest Male” to achieve the Original Triple Crown.
In 2023, Irish swimmer Brianna Jackson completed eight swims: Lambay Island to Rockabill Island, Galway Bay, Kish Bank Lighthouse to Lambay Island, Kish Lighthouse to Rush, Baily Lighthouse beach to Bray, Fastnet Swim, Kish Bank Lighthouse to Fortyfoot, and Greystones Harbour to Shankill Beach. She was nominated for Female Swimmer and Leinster Swimmer of the Year.
The Irish events nominated include “Hit the Wall” Endurance Training, a four-day training weekend organized by Infinity Channel Swimming.
The training covers topics such as physical and mental limits, safety issues, hydration, nutrition, psychological development, distance swimming, water temperature acclimatisation and teamwork. The training takes place in scenic locations such as Carlingford Lough and Camlough Lake.
Also nominated in the events category is the Cork Distance Week (Distance Training Week) is a marathon swimming preparation camp designed and led by International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Honour Administrator Ned Denison of Ireland. Held in Sandycove Island in Cork,
Details on nominees and on casting votes by January 31st are here
