Women rowers make sporting history

Twelve Co Wicklow women are to make sporting history this year when they become the first ladies' rowing crew from Ireland to race across the Irish sea.

The Celtic Challenge from Arklow to Aberystwyth in Wales takes place on May 3 and the women from Arklow Rowing Club are in the thick of training for the mammoth 90 mile challenge.

Classed as the world’s longest sea rowing race, crews from Wales, England, Ireland and as far afield as Germany compete in the biannual gruelling marathon.

Ranging in age from 20 to over 50 the women have been balancing family and work life with the rigours of intensive, almost daily training since last summer.

“You have to be physically fit and mentally fit for this race,” team spokesperson Claire Tyrrell, 27, said.

“You’re looking at 90 miles, at least 16 or 17 hours at sea so physical training is hectic. It’s four times a week as a group as well as doing your own stuff,” she said.

The Challenge has been running since 1989 when a crew from Aberystwyth Lifeboat rowed from Aberystwyth to Arklow for a fundraising event, taking well over 20 hours to complete the course.

Then from 1993 the race started from Arklow and has taken place every second year with 15 crews signed up for the 2008 event.

The women’s race begins at 2.30pm on Saturday May 3 with crews expected in Aberystwyth by early Sunday.

The women give over two nights of the week to team training along with Sunday morning, where they do circuits, night-time rowing, long haul rows, running and cycling, all overseen by Arklow Rowing Club founders Eamonn and Peter Kavanagh.

In 1997 they made history by becoming the first Irish men to row the Atlantic Ocean.

All the ladies are from the Arklow area and hold down full time jobs, with two teachers, an architect, nurse and a bank official among the dedicated crew.

“We’ve a lot of mums as well so it makes it all the harder when you’re trying to run everything from say 9 to 5 and then get down to do your training,” said Claire.

“This is a tough undertaking at the best of times, but even more so when all crew members are juggling day to day responsibilities of employment, managing households and parenting.

“But to be able to say you were in the first all women crew to do it, it really is an achievement.”