Courtesy of Ned Denison, Cork, Ireland.

Deirdre Ward is an Irish open water swimmer who trains with the Serpentine Swimming Club and Otter Swimming Club in London. The 4-time English Channel swimmer is a member of the 24-hour Club and serves unselfishly as a committee member of the Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation.

Ned Denison describes her reach and talents. “Deirdre is the membership secretary for the Otter Swimming Club in London and the Vice Captain of the Serpentine Swimming Club.

In addition to contributing over the years as a swim organizer and volunteer, she has completed the 26.4 km International Self-Transcendence Marathon-Schwimmen in 2010 in 8 hours 33 minutes, a crossing of the English Channel in 2012 in 14 hours 38 minutes, a 34 km two-way crossing of Lake Windermere in 2014 in 12 hours 2 minutes, the 2014 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim in 9 hours 21 minutes, a second crossing of the English Channel in 2015 in 15 hours 31 minutes, and a 68 km two-way crossing of the English Channel in 27 hours 52 minutes in 2016 (where she completed her first leg in 13 hours 15 minutes and her second leg in 14 hours 37 minutes), swam as a member of the Honestly Relay Truly, a six-person relay that attempted to cross the English Channel in December 2017 with Boris Mavra, Kevin Blick, Mark Johanssen, Dani Lobo and Rob Ouldcott in 9°C water in 13 hours 18 minutes.”

Ward trained and competed with St Paul’s Swimming Club in Dublin, Ireland for 10 years until she left Dublin in 2002 to live in London where she continues to churn up the waters.

Footnote: On January 5th 2018, she was inducted as an Honour Swimmer in the Hall of Fame – Marathon Swimming Ireland.

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