Triathlete Dunne finds novel way to swim
By Shane Brophy
The Covid-19 restrictions have forced everyone to adapt in some shape or form and for endurance athletes it is even more so.
With triathlons and iron-mans being cancelled, even their ability to train was greatly impacted during the initial 2 & 5km travel restrictions. For endurance athletes, training is like a drug and if they miss a session they feel a little lost so what must they feel like after almost three months of being able to do very little as they were used to.
One of those is local triathlete Darren Dunne who found a novel way to maintain him training regime when it came to swimming by using a local weir.
“Most people bought 8 foot swimming pools but I didn’t see the point in spending €200 on a pool which I won’t use for too long. My sister works for Spillane Concrete and I had pitched the idea to them of getting a trough that I could fill with water but they didn’t have anything deep enough so the next best thing was the weir down the road,” he said.
Using a cord tied to one leg and supported by his dad, Darren was able get some element of work done in the water to keep him ticking over, prior to him being able to access the water in Lough Derg last Monday.
“I just needed a body of water that was deep enough to swim in one spot. I haven’t been going down there too much as it does the job to keep you in the water but you can’t do a proper session as you are stuck in the one spot, you can’t change speeds or do anything too functional.”
In terms of returning to the swimming pool, Darren and other swimmers will have to wait until the end of the month when restrictions are lifted, provided the facilities adhere to social distancing and can be regularly cleaned.
With the distance restrictions having been eased, Darren has been able to get back out on the road and on the bike to go for longer sessions, including nine hours on the bike on Monday during two laps around Lough Derg.
However, whether he can get back into competitive action remains to be seen as triathlons can return from July 20th and because of the likely demand for endurance racers to compete, it may deter many locations from hosting events.
“In terms of racing, I think will happen is from the end of July some club will try and organise a race and there’ll be a huge entry but no local area will want hundred of people coming from all over the country to the one spot.
“I’m not too optimistic for anything this year but I hope I am wrong.”