Nuala Muir-Cochrane, Lifelong Participation Officer for the asa, will soon be swimming the English Channel in order to raise money for Mind - The Mental Health Charity.

Dublin-born Nuala has worked for the asa for the last two years. When asked why she was doing the swim she said, “I obviously need my head testing! Swimming the channel has been an ambition of mine for a very long time and I thought I would do it now before I got too old!”

In her youth, Nuala was a senior GB international distance swimmer and sees swimming the channel as the ultimate challenge. “I want to push my limits,” she said, “and swimming the channel is obviously very different from pool swimming. I’m venturing into the unknown!”

She has been training for the swim since May, completing sessions in the pool during the week and then heading to Dover at the weekends to get used to the turbulent conditions of the channel.

As the swim approaches she is starting to feel nervous but says, “I am naturally a determined and focused person so it will take a lot for me to quit, the only thing that might affect me would be awful weather.”

The channel, which is 21 miles wide with temperatures of between 15-18 degrees centigrade, usually takes between 10-20 hours to swim, although Nuala is hoping to complete it within 12-15 hours. She will face hazards such as jellyfish, hypothermia and debris, not to mention the 400 commercial ships that use the channel every day.

The swim starts by walking into the sea from the beach at Dover and finishes only when the competitor is back on dry land in France. During the swim Nuala will be able to stop for regular 'feeds' but is not allowed to touch the accompanying boat. These stops are intended for light relief but are kept as short as possible to prevent the risk of being pushed back by the tide.

Nuala’s window for the swim is Wednesday 23rd July until the 29th, and as she hopes to join the 1300 people who have successfully swam the channel, we wish her the best of luck.

To provide a donation click here:
http://www.justgiving.com/nualamuircochrane2

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