Team Endure to Cure member Nuala Moore of Dingle, Ireland recently swam the Lake Zurich 26.4km Marathon Swim to both challenge her limitations and raise awareness for Endure to Cure’s contribution to the fight against pediatric cancer.  In this jaw-dropping post, Nuala recounts what it was like for her to swim such great lengths backed by a higher purpose.

The Swim of Self Transcendence: My Lake Zurich 26.4km Marathon Swim for Endure to Cure–By Nuala Moore

To take on any challenge is 100% belief in the thought that you will finish, genuinely I train to finish. Add to the mix the power to inspire and make a difference by raising awareness and funds for a wonderful cause with my fellow Team Endure to Cure members–that combination is an inspiring cocktail of awesome strength and belief, and here I am in Zurich, Switzerland.

Surrounded by bags, sachets of Maxim, bananas, chocolate for sweet taste, figs, jelly sweets if my throat gets raw, gels, High 5 powder which has high electrolytes when I need a quick fix and some protein mix,  turkey in case I need to chew, some currant bread, some food replacement dairy milk. I will drink between 10- 15 litres of water. I might eat all or none of this but if I have all then I have no reason to stop.  Frances and I sat and chatted about my feeding plans.

Open water swimming differs from a lot of sports in that we need a crew-someone who knows our form, our stroke, our capacity to continue, a good crew just knows, most importantly in the unlikely event of an incident someone who can make the call. If anything happens I’m face down in the water so Frances (my crew member) knows my every mood!  It is also all about preparation!  The night before, Frances prepared enough nutrition for me for up to 14hrs of swimming.

The atmosphere at the start was a testament to the organisers, a sense of personal journey. My initial strokes were slow and adjusting to a day in fresh water.  I stopped every 30 minutes for 20 secs, feeding was a challenge as it was difficult to stay above the water. I had practiced fast feeding and Frances knew to give me a five minute to feed warning; it allows us to push knowing there was a drink coming.  My plan was to reach the 6km mark in 2hrs, etc. By the time I reached the 6km mark at 2.15mins I had only stopped 1min-30secs so I rewarded myself with a minute stop. The rain had started to pour down, the lake calms with the rain so for me it was beautiful-for Frances she was crouched under the tarpaulin with a torch trying to mix the next feed. She had a really tough day.

In lakes my body position is underwater without the buoyant salt, so I was raising my arms higher to clear the water than. At 7 hrs the pain in left arm was cruel; a searing stab cut through the muscle each time I lifted it over my head. It is one thing to be aware and another to entertain it-it can mean nothing, I asked for 2 soluble pain killers. Finishing is all that I think about. There is too much work gone into today, too much sacrifice. I have cried into my goggles before, I can’t cry and swim, so I repeated “suck it up, dumb it down”. My thoughts went to my friend Fiona who had passed away in June from Cancer, a phenomenal swimmer. She would have given anything to be here today, she had smiled through so much pain just to live, let alone to achieve.

“This is nothing-pain will pass” I mantra’d as my bubbles soothed my breathing.-The boat came close and as it turned, the engine blasted some petrol, being so low in the water; I couldn’t avoid it as I swallowed a mouthful of petrol fumes. I signalled to Frances, I got water, put a boiled sweet in my mouth and continued to swim. I couldn’t control it; I threw up projectile, losing a lot of liquid.

Getting sick underwater is very difficult and I was not allowed hold onto the boat for assistance. Frances was mixing dioralyte and high intensity electrolytes to try to prevent any major loss of fluids. For the next hour I stopped every 20 minutes, monitored the amount of times I pee’d and the amount of vomit and forced that volume of liquid back in at different intensities of sugar. I settled back into my regular feeding, but I was still peeing huge volumes and my head was pounding so my body was showing signs of dehydration. Frances included maple syrup and salt in my next drinks. Having a friend who will neither entertain nor allow anything to happen is invaluable. Frances panders to nothing.

At 9hrs I felt that I was over the worst and though I had spent 90 minutes only covering 2 km I was starting to feel strong again. This was my first time swimming 9 hrs and from now on I was swimming further than I ever had. Endurance is all about highs and lows and the cycle is ongoing. As athletes we are so privileged to make all our efforts count, to highlight the challenges that others face, to inspire and to raise awareness just from doing what we love. Endure to Cure is a wonderful group of athletes with supreme standards of adventure who all push to redefine their limits and in our own battles, we inspire each other and raise much needed funds to fight pediatric cancer.. I watched my fingers drift off to the darkness and drifted into a slumber, taking the benefits over the pain.

My boat indicated me in so I turned towards the shore and continued rotating. Suddenly aware that the boat was not beside me I looked up.

“Hey I’m over here?” I shouted.

“Oh that’s Tina Turner’s house” my pilot yelled out.

“I’m going to Zurich..!” I screamed back feeling an automatic frustration.

“You’re ten hours in-will you hurry up!” Frances shouted-“Zurich is just ahead”

I was swimming for ten hours, I had not stood up or breathed freely for ten hours and I had not lifted my goggles off my eyes once but I was scared as my seal was perfect airtight. I wanted to see Zurich but it really didn’t matter I’ll get there when I get there.

“You’re in 3^rd place” I heard a shout “That boat is in second-Go get it”

I lifted my goggles, I broke the seal; I needed to see what I was chasing. Praying that the goggles wouldn’t leak I pushed hard and I couldn’t believe how strong I felt as I dug deep into the water-I reeled in that boat and remember so vividly the faces of her crew as I drove my arms into the water, watching her arms and knowing that I was so much stronger after ten hours than she was. I eased out and couldn’t believe how competitive I felt…I don’t remember any more pain, each stroke reached to faces of so many who would love to have this moment-My mind had anesthetised all feelings even though I could not see Zurich, I was 2^nd, I had never believed that I could be 2^nd.

At 12hrs and one minutes I walked up onto the steps at Zurich. I can’t say that I was shattered; I was tired but not exhausted. I can’t imagine how hard it was for my crew just sitting on a seat on a small boat for 12 hrs.

I felt so proud of me, so privileged to be a fighter and so grateful to have so many people who believe in me. Life is all about stepping up to the plate. This was more purgatory than hell, but as fights go it was a street fight, 12 hrs of getting slapped about the head. The niggles were juvenile-just shows our powers and onward we march to the next challenge-and it’s soon!!!!