KENDAL Swimming Club teacher Heather Wood and former Kendal Club swimmers Donna Blackburn and brother Andrew Crisp took up the Coniston Lake end to end event.

The swimmers competed in well attended competition in aid of the Blood Cancer Charity UK, which saw 371 ladies battling it out.

With conditions reasonable and temperatures favourable, swimmers were able to record some outstanding times.

Off to a crowded start Blackburn placed herself amongst the leading pack and put herself in a position for success.

Wood also got away well at the start and began to work hard and stay well up the field. Crisp swimming Breaststroke demonstrated he had lost none of his old skills and was not fazed by being in amongst the Front Crawl contestants.

The swimmers then got into their rhythm and most kept a steady pace over the first half.

Headed for home, challenges began to appear and responses began to have an affect with various swimmers getting into the mix and a few clashes occurring.

Both Blackburn and Wood managed to stay clear of trouble and saved their exertions for the pressure zone where they stormed into the finish with Blackburn taking 15th place in 2:28.13 and Wood finishing 43rd in 2:39.22. Crisp kept up his pace and produced a magnificent effort to record a time of 2:47.36.

Another of Kendal’s coaches also set himself an indoor challenge by raising money for Dementia by completing a five-mile swim in 30 days at the G.L.L. Centre.

Having allocated himself so many metres for each of his swims he was able to recruit a number of Swim Buddies who acted as pacemakers which helped greatly in achieving his ambitions and he too raised over £500 for his chosen Charity. A golden opportunity presented itself when Olympian, Adam Peaty visited Workington and laid on a seminar open to coaches and swimmers from the Club’s in Cumbria.

One of Kendal’s swimmers, Evan Dart, took advantage and attended the event which proved highly successful.

There were sessions in the gym consisting of land training and focusing on all distances from sprints to 1500s.

As well as sessions in the water.

Psychology and race preparation also came under discussion.

As well as sessions in the water. Psychology and race preparation also came under discussion.

Evan’s reaction was extremely positive and he came away highly satisfied that he had got so much out of the occasion and is now looking forward to putting his extra knowledge into practice.

Former Troutbeck Bridge swimmer Lauren Munro-Bennett was also in action taking on the Helvellyn Triathlon.

She got a steady start on her first lap in the water then did a devastating 6:40 on her second lap to take her right into the mix on her bike ride.

Here again she did 1:34 then lowered that time with a 1:28 and took off on her run.

Using all her experience and tactical know how she drove herself forward and saving her best effort for the pressure zone she burst through the field to take 5th place in her Category and the 6th placed Female overall.