Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

There are certain hallowed grounds in the open water swimming world: the shores of Waikiki (Hawaii), Bondi Beach (Australia), Atami (Japan), Dover (Great Britain), Cap Gris Nez (France), Costa Brava (Spain), La Jolla (California), and the slipway at the Midmar Dam (South Africa).

Walk up or down these famed sandy, rocky or concrete grounds to swim – it is analogous to playing tennis at Wimbledon, cycling down the Champs-Élysées or running in Central Park at the New York Marathon.

Such is the famed slipway in Sandycove, Kinsale, Co Cork.

The start and finish of the annual Sandycove Island Challenge in Ireland is one of those iconic locations in the global open water swimming world. 188 swimmers walked up and down this slipway at 1.8 km swim around Sandycove Island, sponsored by The Edge in aid of the Cork Lions Club.

Top 25 Times:
1 Odhran Savage 21:21.2
2 Colm Fitzgerald 23:13.7
3 Ross McAuliffe 23:22.5
4 Cian Harley 23:26.4
5 Charley Breen 23:28.5
6 Ned Denison 24:00.8
7 Brian Desmond 24:09.1
8 Conor Shiels 24:19.2
9 Adrian Cosgrove 24:26.6
10 Owen O’Keefe 24:29.7
11 Evan O’Broin 24:51.5
12 Neddie Irwin 24:52.5
13 Paul Sweeney 25:04.2
14 Kevin McLaughlin 25:09.2
15 Thomas Maguire 25:09.3
16 Brian O’Shea 25:32.0
17 John McCarthy 25:36.8
18 Dymphna Morris 25:40.1
19 Colm Walsh 25:40.6
20 Sean Nicholson 25:43.9
21 Daniel Coholan 25:54.6
22 Fergal Madden 26:11.8
23 Robert Cussen 26:31.9
24 Eddie Irwin 26:34.0
25 Eoin O’Broin 26:40.6

Photo of Eddie Irwin by iobhan Russell.

Copyright © 2015 by World Open Water Swimming Association