Son limbers up for river race in memory of father

DONNING his dad’s old Speedo togs, his swim hat, and wreathed in his memory, Ger Philpott will take a special plunge this weekend.

He is going to swim the 2km Lee River race for the first time in celebration of his father’s life.

Ger’s doing it as his dad Tadhg — who died earlier this year — urged him to do the river race that meant so much to him.

Now, not only is he doing the Cork event, he’s already done New York’s Great Hudson River Race as a warm-up, and will finish the summer by doing the Liffey River swim in September.

Philpott is a proud Irish swimming name — the late Tadhg Philpott was a sporting pioneer and a life-saving hero. He did his first Lee River swim in the late 1930s, continued right up to the 1970s, and was still an active and competitive masters swimmer in his 80s. He was a huge supporter of the river race’s revival in 2005, but was advised by his doctors not to do it.

Father and son made a bit of Irish swimming history in the 1980s when they both won gold medals in an International masters race event in Rome, but Ger describes himself more as “a battery swimmer, that is, up and down a pool”.

“I was reluctant, but given that Dad was close to death I couldn’t but agree. I climbed back into the Speedos and pool just two days after he was buried — if I was to do it I’d have to give it my best shot. I could hear his voice as I made my way up and down the pool.”

Ger has gone to considerable lengths to fulfil that solemn promise. In preparation, he did the New York 2.6km Great Hudson River Swim in May as “a warm-up for Cork”, and is also doing weekend qualifying races in Dublin for the 1.8km Liffey River Swim in September.

Not to let all that water pass under the bridge, Ger (who is a researcher on Joe Duffy’s radio show) is making a documentary entitled Three Rivers: One Summer, which will be aired later this year, and is also using the swim to raise funds for an animal charity.

This year, the family will donate the Tadhg Philpott Memorial Trophy to the Lee Swim, to be awarded to the best-performing club each year. “I wear my dad’s Speedos and swim hat in each swim I do. Training is interesting; it felt comforting and in a sense, I was closer to Dad,” said Ger.

“It certainly helped and continues to help with the grieving process, particularly immediately following his death,” says Ger, whose mother Mary (Russell) predeceased Tadhg by a few months.

“Mum is also involved here,” adds Ger, “she kept us in dry towels throughout our swimming careers.”