Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

Philip Hodges was one of two swimmers, including Adrian Rotchell who finished in 14 hours, to complete the recent Loch Lomond crossing in Scotland.

The 44-year-old Hodges, who finished the cross-lake challenge in 13 hours 1 minute, trained by Ned Denison in Cork and was extremely grateful for the experience. “I believe Ned totally and completely when he says the waters of Sandycove are lucky. My time [at Sandycove] and the memories of the people and experience from the swims meant more to me then you could imagine during this swim [across Loch Lomond].

Robert Haylock, Kevin Welsh, David Stewart, Sue Croft, Giles Meyer, Dee Llewellyn and James Leitch, all of whom did not finish the crossing, are a precursor of discomfort for Denison who will attempt his own Loch Lomond crossing the day before the 2014 Global Open Water Swimming Conference.

“I crossed the Catalina Channel right before the 2012 Global Open Water Swimming Conference in Long Beach, California,” said the personable creator of the Cork Distance Week.

With the 2014 Global Open Water Swimming Conference being held on the Isle of Bute and with Loch Lomond being so close, history may repeat itself.

“Before the 2014 Conference, I have signed up to swim the 21.6 miles across Loch Lomond,” says Denison. “If I keep going, it spits me out near Glasgow port and I can swim to the Isle of Bute. Who needs a ferry?“

Copyright © 2014 by World Open Water Swimming Association