Great East Swim Disaster

The Great East Swim this last Saturday did not go so well I am afraid. I have done quite a few swimming events this past year. I also did last year's Great North Swim (which was really good) and this year quite a few triathlons as well as the Great Big Open Water swim at Dorney Lake, which was 3km. Unfortunatly I had had to send back my triathlon hire wetsuit the week before this swim so I had decided to use my old surfing wetsuit.

However, disaster struck when I discovered that I have lost weight recently and I when I put on my wetsuit I discovered it was loose around the neck and arms. Not good as it kept in no heat at all and made it harder to swim but I thought it would not be too bad, especially seeing as there were several people swimming without wetsuits at all. Unfortunately the weight loss also seems to have affected my ability to deal with cold water. As the swim went on I got slower and slower and colder and colder. Eventually I was shivering and shaking so much it was obvious to the safety kayakers that I was in serious trouble. Although I really didn't want to I asked for help. I don't really remember that much of what happened but I was pulled out of the water put in a boat and rushed back to shore and then taken to the medical tent. By this time I was shivering so much I could not even say my name to the first aid people and was having trouble focussing on anything. I'm not a trained medical doctor but I am a trained first aider and so I recognise the early signs of what I suspect was hypothermia. I have never been that cold before and not being able to speak was quite scary. The medical staff were fantastic though. They had in in front of a heater, talking to me and calmed me down and although it took me quite a long time to recover I was eventually able to get myself home to Cambridge.

I am obviously bitterly disappointed to say the least. I really enjoyed the Great North Swim last year and had hoped to do all the great swims this year. Unfortunately work commitments meant the Great East Swim was the only one I could do. Having not finished the only event I could make I was absolutely gutted. I guess the important thing is to not lose the lesson and to do better next year. I will be back and I will do every Great Swim event I possibly can.

PS; If you go here

http://www.eadt.co.uk/content/eadt/news/galleries/story.aspx?brand=EADOnline&category=Galleries&tBrand=EADOnline&tCategory=xDefault&itemid=IPED27%20Sep%202009%2022%3A05%3A17%3A040

and look at pictures 14 and 15 you will see me in a shorty wetsuit looking very cold (having just come out of the practise) this was a hint of things to come.