The Boyne Swim will once again headline the Irish Maritime Festival taking place in Drogheda Port this summer.
200+ competitors will take to the river Boyne to swim the 2.7km tidal route.
Ray Donagh of Drogheda Triathlon Club is one of the Boyne Swim organisers. He explains: "The Boyne Swim takes place at 12.50pm on Saturday 10th June. The first swimmers will pass by the Tall Ships of the Irish Maritime Festival about 25 minutes later with the first swimmer crossing the finish line by 1.25pm."
2016 saw the ever-popular local man and ex-Olympian Colin Lowth take the title. With a very strong start, he led the field all the way and was a very worthy winner. He was presented with the Drogheda Port Company Boyne Swim perpetual trophy designed by artist Ronan Halpin.
Now in its 4th year, the race has garnered a reputation for being tough but enjoyable. Ray explains “Swimmers taking part in Open Water Swimming will typically have spent the winter and spring training in the pool about 3 times per week averaging around 10 K. Open Water swimming by its very nature means swimming in water temperatures of 12 C to 15 C. Swimmers will begin acclimatising to the colder water temp with weekly swims in the sea, rivers and lakes over the next month.”
Swimmers from right across the country will flock to Drogheda for this challenging river swim. The Boyne swim even attracts visitors from across Europe. "This year we welcome swimmers from Germany, France and Sweden among other countries" continues Ray. "Staging the race allows us to forge relationships with swimming clubs in other countries and encourage them to visit the beautiful Boyne Valley and be part of the swim in the historic river Boyne".
To find out more about the race visit www.BoyneSwim.ie. The Irish Maritime Festival is hosted by Louth County Council and Drogheda Port Company in association with Virgin Media. Find out more by visiting www.MaritimeFestival.ie
