A 'deep sense of sorrow' in Youghal as two people die during Ironman swim
Some of the athletes lining up for IRONMAN Ireland Cork, hosted by Cork County Council, in Youghal, Co Cork. Picture: John Hennessy
The tragic deaths of two athletes during Youghal’s Ironman Ireland’s swim challenge has cast a shadow over the event, the third time it has been hosted by the east Cork town.
“A deep sense of sorrow”, was how one local, who asked not to be named, described the effect on all who took part, and came to watch.
An estimated 2,000-plus spectators travelled to Youghal on Sunday to cheer on an equal number of athletes attempting the half and full triathlons, which were timed to start consecutively.
Participants had an early start gathering on the front strand from 5.30am. The day began with blustery conditions, with waves reaching an estimated 1.52m in a large swell. The advancing tide was breaking heavily on the rock armour that lines the shore as the first competitors took to the sea.
The organisers decided to reduce the swim distance for full Ironman participants by half, from 3.8km to 1.9km due to the conditions.
The start was also delayed by about 40 minutes, partly to allow all athletes to reach the front strand and also because of an apparent malfunction with the timer mechanism in the starting mat.
The swimmers were meant to turn towards the right to circumnavigate an orange buoy before turning parallel to the shore, towards the harbour entrance and upriver, parallel to Lighthouse Hill, and onto the bike transition at Green Park.
However many swimmers, despite repeated calls from the race director to veer right, seemed either to swim or to drift to the left and had to exert extra effort to correct their direction.
The orange buoy was disused for the full triathlon swimmers who were instructed to swim in a straight line to a large yellow triangle inflatable instead.
Some participants were seen abandoning the swim soon after entering the water and were either picked up by water rescue craft or swam back to shore. Several were helped ashore by stewards but, in some, were also carried onto the rocks by the breaking waves.
By 8am the public were three deep along the Lighthouse Hill and beyond, cheering the cyclists as they headed towards the east Cork byroads on the second leg of their challenge.
Spectators turned out in force in equal numbers as the cyclists twice powered up the 21% incline of Windmill Hill.
Huge numbers remained on the town's streets late into the night applauding the athletes ten hours after their first step into water.
Saturday’s cancellation of the 70.3 brought the novel experience of streets devoid of both traffic and athletes.
On Friday, Storm Betty had failed to dampen the spirits of the Ironkids, as children aged four to 15 ran on the sodden streets and sprinted down the iconic finishing stretch.
Over 600 people delivered an atmosphere of noisy exuberance as each child high-fived friends while collecting a medal Dozens of people found post-race shelter in the nearby fire station, from which the tenders had been moved to a more accessible location.
Offaly visitors Karen and Paddy Mangan received complimentary house accommodation from a stranger when fleeing their tent at Youghal GAA grounds.
Vladimir Faydem, a Ukrainian national long settled in Dublin was one of about 70 tent tenants given shelter in the club’s meeting hall in an episode replicated at the local rugby club.
Someone else offered free accommodation and “drying facilities for anyone whose clothes are wet”.
As consideration turns to future contracts and Ironman returns, senior executive officer with Cork County Council Seán O’Callaghan paid tribute to “the people of Youghal for stepping forward with accommodation and other requirements” throughout Ironman to date.
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