Speaker

Ned Denison

Sandycove Island Swim Club

Ned Denison is Ireland’s most prolific marathon swimmer with 55 epic marathon swims between 10 and 66 km: Triple Crown (English and Catalina Channels and around Manhattan) and 8 pioneering marathons including around the Great Island (Cobh) and Valentia Island. At age 56 he set the male speed record for the S.C.A.R. swim (4 marathons in 4 days) which still holds after seven years. Together, this resulted in his induction in the Ireland Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame as an Honour Swimmer. He also completed two ice miles (water below 5C) and 13 different prison island swims.

Ned is better recognized in the sport as a swim organiser and “seriously dangerous” motivator.

He was one of the early organisers of the approximately 1 mile long ‘Vibes & Scribes’ Lee Swim and Sandycove Island Challenge which are now amongst Ireland’s largest swims with 400 swimmers. These helped feed the marathon swimming craze driven by Ned in County Cork now with 164 marathon swimmers. He started the annually held Cork Distance Week in 2009. This brings together on average 70 top and aspiring, local and international, marathon swimmers. As a result, Sandycove Island in Kinsale is now recognized as one of world best marathon training locations – of the 178 English Channel swimmers who have circled the Island 21 were developed locally.

Ned does not teach swimming or swim technique. He drives ambitious goal setting and physical/mental preparation including a “torture swim” event – which you could not imagine!

Ned is recognised at home and abroad:

International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Honoree and Chair of the Executive Committee

International Swimming Hall of Fame: Irving Davids/Captain Roger W. Wheeler Memorial Award and Poseidon Award (as part of a Cork Organising Committee)