Swim Ireland are delighted to launch the 2017 Swim for a Mile Challenge and announce Special Olympics Ireland as the Official Charity Partner. The challenge, which involves 10 weeks of training, gives participants the confidence and skills to reach the ultimate goal of swimming a mile while raising money for a worthy cause.
Swim for a Mile is open to swimmers of all abilities, from the regular to the lapsed, as long as you can swim at least two lengths of a pool; it is designed to get participants from swimming a couple of lengths to the mile. At the end of the 10 weeks, from March 20th – April 2nd, events will take place in pools nationwide where participants will join other swimmers to complete their mile. The training programme has been specifically developed in line with the Department of Health Guidelines on exercise and aims to encourage people and give them the tools to embark on a new healthier lifestyle.
Sarah Keane, CEO of Swim Ireland: “We are excited about the 2017 initiative and Special Olympics Ireland coming on board as our charity partner. We look forward to seeing the impact it’s going to have in terms of encouraging as many people as possible to experience the benefits of swimming. There are groups all across the country taking part with coaching sessions available in all of our participating pools. Swimming is one of the only sports in which people of all abilities and ages can get involved and through Swim for a Mile we aim to show this and to encourage everyone to get involved and get active”.
The initiative, supported by Sport Ireland, will see €3 from every registration go directly to Special Olympics with individuals and clubs across the country also participating and raising funds.
Speaking about the new partnership Special Olympics Ireland CEO Matt English commented “We’re delighted that the national governing bodies of Special Olympics Ireland and Swim Ireland have engaged in such a mutually beneficial partnership. We are grateful for the support and particularly pleased to be involved in an initiative which is all about increasing participation in a lifelong sport. We encourage our clubs, our volunteers and the wider community to get involved in the Swim for a Mile Challenge and are looking forward to the next 10 weeks.”
To sign up for the challenge visit www.swimforamile.com, the fee is €30 and includes access to a free training programme, coaching clinics delivered by Irish Olympians, on-line training support and advice from qualified Swim Ireland coaches. The support provided will help to improve swimming technique, increase levels of fitness and ensure readiness to complete the mile (64 lengths of a 25 metre pool, equivalent to the distance swam in an Olympic Triathlon). There is also an 800m programme available for those who would like to complete a shorter distance.
Swim Ireland will also run a Swim for a Mile Corporate Challenge in April during the Irish Open Swimming Campionships which will encourage companies to get their employees into the pool to compete against each other for the Swim Ireland Cup!
