HITtheWALL 2019 Feedback
I really enjoyed the all weekend, it was really amazing how you did manage with the strong wind and with all the swimmers you had to take out during the Carlingford – Omeath swim, congratulations!!
the adventure at the park was great fun! It was really exciting and I could test also my fear and the trust in other people especially the one securing me while climbing up the tree and jumping…
the dinner was also very nice and was a nice chance to meet with other swimmers and talk about swimming and sharing some stories 🙂
Things were well organized, plenty of support staff and Events were challenging and fun . Even though I came to The camp for fun , and was not conditioned for the longer Swims, it challenged me in unexpected ways . I never would Have thought that I could sit in an ice tub with such ease , Nor rappel. Approaching 65 I felt good about that .
I can honestly say that the only thing that wasn’t appealing Was the panel discussion . Maybe because the acoustics
Made it hard to hear , or having each person on the panel Respond made it long. Grouping the panel So that each panel gets a different question might move Things along quicker and not seem so tedious .
Anyway, Just my thoughts .
Thank you for such a wonderful experience And my first introduction to Ireland .
I loved your camp! You did so many things really well! My only thought would be more socializing. I wanted to get to know the other swimmers.
I thought the last dinner was more fun than the yacht club dinner… it was fun, but you only got to chat with your six table mates…maybe a pizza/beer more relaxed not formal seating dinner would be an idea? I loved the adventure park, but felt quite rushed, I didn’t get to bond with my group? Maybe add a team game? Paint ball or something? I wanted to meet more people!
Please don’t think for a minute that I am being critical! I’m not! I loved camp and will come back and will recommend it!!! But I didn’t meet many people, and that seems odd.
I loved the hanging out before each swim, and would have liked hanging out after too😊
The swims were terrific!! I felt really safe and well cared for! Your pilots were great! I LOVED swimming in Carlingford! What a fabulous location! So many positives!!! I can’t wait to come back!
infinity Channel Swimming’s goal is to give you the opportunity to go to your limits and beyond. Did you HITtheWALL ? How?
First, I am honestly uncomfortable on high ladders, so taking on the pole at the challenge on Friday was an amazing opportunity not only to take on the water but also to challenge my fears and my perceived limitations. Thank you for arranging that! In the water, bringing back the two-a-day swims was fantastic. We were so safe during the 7.5k swim, but you all somehow made yourselves less visible during the day. I challenged us, well me, to get over any thoughts about swimming on my own. I never thought I’d EVER get in the ice bath. Your great attitudes made the ice and dice swim fun and a good challenge (without us even realizing it).
I only did the 10 hour swim but was challenged all the way. I certainly HitTheWall at hour 5 when the temptation to get out was a very attractive option. I was very cold, hungry and tired.
I started to swim in February and wanted to test myself. This week certainly did that. Although I didn’t do all the events. I did enough to see where I was from a fitness capacity and mentally. It was great to meet and talk too other swimmers of varied experiences and tap into their knowledge
Swam longer and further than I had
Longest swim to date, felt so comfortable in the water with the amount of support provided by Infinity Channel swimming crew.
Swam more than ever before. Battle was great swim. There was more in me for a finish. Not spent but almost. Next year I can go a bit harder. 😉
Used it as a training weekend.
I did but i wasnt at the stage where I couldn’t walk out the water on my own so then I felt that I should have pushed myself more !
Oh yes – I was pretty knackered after the battle of carlingford and me & my yellow cap had to go hide
The wall hit me! Was pulled from Battle at 3 hours.
I didn’t push myself this year as I just have hadn’t the time and have other stuff happening in my lift. But there was plenty of opportunity to do this if I want to
Yes, by double swimming every day in the sea
Yes, I swam 5k in open water
Yes, of Friday night with the Leap of Faith, then again on Saturday 6k into the Battle
Very nearly. I did the morning swims and the conditions on Sunday morning were brutal. I actually enjoyed it more the rougher it got as it tested me a lot more than a nice long calm swim would have.
Absolutely! Day 4- long swim at the 2hr mark. I was a bumbling mess and so glad I got through that and pushed on for another 2.5 hours. I was happy that day, disappointed in myself the next realizing I could have totally done 6 hrs. I’ll be back!
Swam for 3 hours in the Battle (the longest I’d ever swam before) however disappointed to have to get picked up by the boat due to turning tides
I did. I don’t know if it was travel fatigue or what, but I struggled during the Battle for Carlingford Lough. After chatting with Jack at dinner, I re-grouped, swam to re over and had a successful six hour qualifier on Monday.
No but this was partly my choice. I found the very early starts a problem especially after the night swim and a lot of travel with little sleep. This may have been due to tides. As a result I missed a lot of the swimming.
Pushed me, through increasing my times in open water, encouraging me & motivatinge
Completed my 2 hour qualifying swim.
Tackling my fear of the cold and the dark! Hit the wall on the ice and dice – final straw – being dunked with no hat on – that hurt and I wanted out. But I think that really prepped me for the 6hour the following day, I was dreading it but felt great when I completed it – thinking about the 10hour next year. I actually enjoyed the night swim, I usually panic and get disorientated.
yes i did .. prior to my attending the weekend my longest open water swim of the season was 35 mins .. this extended to 6 hours by the Monday of the event which is extraordinary
Not physically no. But I was disappointed I didn’t make the full distance of the Battle on Saturday. I felt strong and confident in my swim but the tide turning meant I had to leave the water and that was a huge disappointment for me. It’s a realisation that I’m not fast enough and that was tough to take.
yes…was worried about the water temp but I got thru it
Yes, my challenge was not to quit. I was taken out by the boat so although I didn’t finish I didn’t quit.
Longest swim I have done and the first sea swim
I could have pushed through and finished the 7.5k Swim. Disappointed I didn’t but stomach issues for the first time since starting open water swimming rattles me.
Yes. Completed longest swim to date & struggled the last 2-3km but got there (Battle of Carlingford Lough)
I lost the battle of Carlingford, but made a personal significant achievement in that I actually started the race. .. the point of not moving for 1/ 2 broke my motivation to keep going.. the authorised of the loch looked an inviting option at the time… However, I won the war completeing the 2 hour qualifier in some tough conditions. I just now need to force myself to do 3-4 hours.
I lost my sense of humor at about 8.5 hrs of the 10 hr swim, but I found out that I was fine and I could continue swimming. I think not having it be point to point makes it harder mentally! Brilliant really!
Swam twice as far as ever have before on the Saturday swim
Swam til I couldn’t swim no more
Did the Battle of Carlingford Lough, which was a big stretch for me.
The constant pace was challenging, but within the realms of safety
I swam for 3 hours until the boat pulled me out.
Yes, I hit the wall during the battle! I never felt that before in all my years OWS. My mental strength broke when I assumed the 2nd last marker was the finishing line. But all good, it was great to experience that too. I probably had become complacent about long distance swims. A bit invincible. So I’m back in my box now 🙂
Learnt I could stay in cold water for longer than I thought I could.
Yes But not in the 10 hour qualifier!! The 7.5 I burnt myself out and could of easily gave up…but you just can’t
NO. but I was happy with where I went, it was right at this point in time. I know I can up gear or down gear or maintain level.
Not really. I don’t feel I pushed myself too much although I came back quite tired. Probably the early mornings pushed me the most!
HITtheWALL is good value for money ?
Yes
Yes. A well organized event and great to be able to try a 10 hour in a safe and organized manner.
Excellent value.
yes
Yes, we’ll worth it.
signed up for the whole weekend, but didn’t go to all events so my own fault if I didn’t get value for money.
Some of my fellow swimmers found it expensive with the accommodation and so forth but I personally found it good value for money.
Yes
Yes, definitely. Even before the very welcome discount offered to Atlantic Masters the price was amazing
Very well organised weekend.
Yes
Yes , very good value
Yes
Yes
Yes
Oh my, 100% yes! In fact, I think you can and should charge more. I know this is a labor of love so you may not want to. I would easily pay double 😉
Yes
Excellent value. This was my second year and I will be back.
yes, of course
Moderate.
Yes
Yes
Yes
exceptional value
I thought it was a bit expensive and may be a “pay per day” option could be included?
absolutely!!!!!!
Yes
Yes
Yes 100%
Yes
Yes, for the number of swims, activities, dinner and safety support that is available. And of course the laughs all come free which is a great bonus !
Incredible value! I was so surprised by the huge amount of on and off the water support!
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Definitely!!
Yes
Yes
Cheaper than spending £3500 on channel swim and failing
For me yes
Yes, excellent.
How did infinity Channel Swimming crew help you ?
The positive attitude that you brought to every single swim.
Pádraig and Jacqueline were excellent. Gave me encouragement when I needed it and Jacqueline figured out my feed back very quickly.
They gave me confidence to go further than I probably would on my own. From a safety aspect.
relaxed but made you feel safe
From start to finish the crew were so helpful.
Good organisation. Good safety. Good company.
Having the crew present on the water made it safe and was pushed by the crew but during the swims and at sky park.
Great training weekend for my swim in July and after meeting the crew I have 100% confidence in them taking me across the swim
Endless, unbelievable amounts of energy and positivity. I don’t know how you do it.
The crew were amazing and the swim felt so safe. Special thanks to John in the kayak who was so encouraging and wouldn’t let us give up.
They area grate bunch of people. Always there to Help with advice and small tips that make a big difference.
Onto the boat 😂
Pushed my limits to beyond what I thought was possible
Great craic and a willingness to push you when required
Some tough love and encouragement. “You’re not even cold”! was my favorite. I came away knowing that I can do much more than I think I can and I need to be better at getting through my own personal demons in my head.
Encouragement in the water and getting onto the boat and back to shore
Very supportive and well organized. As mentioned, Jack was very encouraging when I was feeling a little bit down about the Saturday afternoon race.
YES
The q&a was good.
Lots of Valuable Advice, felt very safe swimming & very encouraging
Good organisation; well run.
Made the process fun…ish. Pushed me to my limits.
in every imaginable way .. by constantly reassuring everyone and taking a very hands on professional approach to every aspect
The kayakers and boat crew really helped me keep a positive mentality during my swims.
very positive extremely friendly and all aware of what was going on!!
Always v friendly and helpful.
Registration, briefing, hand out the water at the end and hot orange
They are amazing, organized, focused, a strong team, Knowledgeable, fun and sadistic 😂 They know their shit .
Yes- encouragement & jelly babies!!
The laughter, cheerful but grounded support. The getting me out of the water on the Battle of Carlingford… I always wanted a boat ride! …Also indirectly by providing the psychological boost to a swimming buddy… made life a hell of a lot easier and less waring… enough said!
Friendly, kind, out going, fun! They were there for us in every way!
Ran a good event
Picked me up out of the water.
The safety crew were fantastic, I never felt I was on my own at all, ever, I felt cared for at all times and close to rescue boats.
They made the race feel very safe as there was so much support
Oh where do I start.. kayaker minded my wedding band when my hands got so cold during the battle, that my ring was slipping off.. the crew who pulled me out near the end. Plus Shirley’s yoga was amazing!! She thought me deep stretches that reached places no stretch or physio ever reached.
Dropping me midlough
Encouraging and making the event fun.
For me they are positive and friendly…..sometimes funny too
Safe, motivated, challenged and achieving
Reassuring to know they were supporting in the water if needed.
Did you wear the HITtheWALL yellow hat and why?
Not this year. Had only been in the water, any water, for about a month before the event. So, just the swims were a challenge themselves. Even made a few swims in skins, not something that I’d do regularly.
I wore it 1. It was good quality and big enough to come down over ears. It stated why I was here for.
No
no
Next year!
Yes! Why not! Sure the wall was there to be pushed.
Nope was under no pressure and used the weekend as a training weekend.
No but it was my 1st hit the wall
I did – I thought I needed the push because I am attempting something massive later in the year. But I’m not sure it was a good idea for me; I was stressed about the 10-hour swim on Monday so I ended up avoiding opportunities to live up to the yellow cap in the preceding days, but then felt guilty.
No way! Not that brave.
Not this year but did last year. It really pushes you to be the best you can be.
Yes , just to find out what it was about , but wanted to wear other colours as well :-))
No, I’m not very strong swimmer
Yes
I did. I’ve a big swim coming up and I wanted everything to be as hard as it could be. It’s great motivation to push yourself.
I did as I wanted to be pushed. I think I could have been pushed a little more 😉
No way !
Why wouldn’t I. It is always fun to see what you come up with to push us. I admit that I didn’t wear it on Sunday as I was focused on my recovery for the qualifier.
yes. i wanted to be pushed
Yes. I wanted to push myself. It didn’t really work out that way always but I didn’t always wear it either so partly down to me.
Yes, as I am preparing for Relay swim in July. Needed to know my limitations plus needed to be pushed
Blue – for my qualifier
I did, wanted to be pushed.
no i bottled out of that .. it stayed in the cottage the whole weekend 🙂
No, as I can get nervous in the water and was worried I’d feel panicked if crew put pressure on me because of the yellow hat. I don’t feel confident or good enough to wear one.
no
No, first time doing it so wanted to decide myself when I had been challenged enough.
Yes, wanted to feel the fear. Took it off however.
No.. I’m not that mad, stupid or speedy..
Yes! I was there for a ten hour qualifier so the yellow cap was a must!
No
No
No. I’m not mad, just stupid! (I was quite nervous about doing the swim at all and certainly didn’t feel confident about further challenges)
Yes, on the first swim
No. I didn’t feel the need for extra motivation
No, I chickened out, because of low temps.
Yes
White
Yes It was the hardest
NO
Yes, I wanted to be encouraged to do more and I DID.
What was your favourite event over the weekend?
How do I pick. Seeing the lights in the night swim is always a treat. The ice swim made the whole experience more positive.
Only there for the 10hr and it was the toughest thing I have ever done
Battle of Carlingford.
Calingford to Omeath swim
Battle of Carlingford
The Battle was my favourite! The Ice and Dice! is mighty fun. Wish I had more time for it but was on wind down after the Battle and the beer! Total surprise.
The ice baths and sky park, would like to have done a bit more at sky park.
They were all awesome
“Ice n dice” – I’m still amazed and impressed at how the infinity crew managed to turn a series of ice baths into a fun event with so much laughter. Honourable mention for the skypark adventures – that was a brilliant way to start the weekend
Maybe not an event but my favourite time of the whole weekend was getting into the rescue boat after three hours of hell!!!!
I have two The night swim for something different and the battle of the lough for my competitive side.
All of it really as every day was a new challenge to me .
All events
Early Morning Swim
I only did the morning swims as I had my kids with me. The Sunday morning swim was excellent (due to the weather being so bad) as it pushed everyone.
That is a tough one! I would say equally the Ice n’ Dice nd the battle of carlingford lough.
Night Swim
Ice and Dice and the night swim.
ice n’dice
Ice and dice was good. Also the race on Saturday.
ice Mile……hilarious
Only attended Battle of Carlingford Lough and meal both great.
Tough one….I hate night swimming but enjoyed the night swim.. over came that fear. Completing the 6 hours was such a relief and felt great afterwards….the ice and dice in hindsight was good too. Can’t decide sorry.
Saturday the battle of carlingford was amazing coastal swim in challenging conditions .. superb
In hindsight, despite my disappointment, the Battle was my favourite event as I felt so strong and good about my swim (up until I realised I wouldn’t make the cut off) and it allowed me to swim the furthest I’ve swum so far.
the battle of Carlingford…
The Battle of the Lough.
Just did the 7.5k Saturday swim
I’ve baths, great craic, and photos for bragging rights 😂 Needed to eat and prep before the 7.5k , Q&A as well I got a lot from that. Very hard to pick one Jacqueline as each had something different to offer. You’re panel was the best of the best and awe inspiring to see so many heavy hitters that I have been following for so long all together in the one room. Love how that can happen in this sport. Can’t recommend this weekend enough. You are a class act Infinity.
Early morning swims
I actually really enjoyed the qualifier 2 hour swim. The conditions were challenging but the support on the water and in the water from other swimmers was just great.. liked the ice and dice too!
Ice and dice!!! Cheerful, fun, more time together.
Battle
night swim
Sunday morning washing machine swim in the harbour
Battle of Carlingford
The battle.
Ice and dice
Ice and Dice
The Q &A and the ice n dice
Battle of Carlingford – as always
Battle of Carlingford Lough
HITtheWALL 2019 for me was …
a challenge to what I thought I was capable of
A major milestone to get over 5 weeks before my EC attempt. I came away having learnt a lot about myself and with much more confidence than I had before hand.
A box ticked and will definitely return to see how I’ve improved over 12 months
A huge personal challenge
Really enjoyed the swim can’t wait until next year!!
Great weekend. Loved the registration event. Very different and great use of the local attractions. It’s world class. I’m not but it makes me try to be better being around so many good swimmers. Good work.
Was great craic,thoroughly enjoyed it which needs to be done for open water swimming. Again a training weekend for me as I was under no pressure to complete qualifiers.
An amazing experience which I was sorry to see end. I look forward to next year
Brilliant… exhilarating… exhausting!!
Reassurance that I am fit enough to swim for three hours… but I hated every minute of that awful swim. I want to go back next year and enjoy it!!!
More about keeping one leg in with the swimming seen
A great experience and one I didn’t expect to enjoy as much as I did . It’s nice to know you’re not alone in one’s pursuits and ambitions . Meet some fab people and learned a lot .
Great to get me ready for the summer open water season
Great craic with some fantastic friendly swimmers.
An eye opening experience! I am stronger that my brain thinks I am and I need to not doubt myself.
the journey not the destination
A great time and a chance to connect with other marathon swimmers.
amazing
A chance to swim in a nice place. It didn’t work out ideal training but the place was nice.
A Brilliant Learning Experience
The opportunity to complete a qualifyong6 swim
Great.
Huge both physically , mentally i grew , confidence increased significantly and i was a different swimmer by the end of the weekend perfect preparation for my channel swim in September
Epic. Disappointing because I didn’t make my qualifier but learned lots. Fun. Heart breaking. Empowering. A learning experience. A chance to connect with others.
brilliant to get a 2hr qualifying swim in but even better to meet some incredible swimmers
A brilliant experience, I’ll be back again and will take part in more activities next time.
Challenging and chafing but worth doing
Finding my tribe . Sounds very vomit 🤢 but also true. Such an amazing sport with such grounded people. You will be sick of me coming back year after year.
a challenge!!
A memorable weekend of swimming, Irish hospitality and the opportunity to rub wet shoulders with some true superhumans/heroes.
A wonderful weekend with people who love to do what I love to do! A super great experience with fabulous people! I can’t recommend it highly enough!!! I’ll be back for sure💕
Proof you can do anything with determination no matter what your age
Fun
Hard work but worth it!
Swimming in a beautiful location in challenging conditions. Open water swim camp training ta it’s best
A new challenge
As I said, it put me back in my box. And reminded me that long swims are to be taken very serious. Fantastic weekend!
Great fun
Challenging and fun
For me it’s a “pressure test” a “standard setter “ Completing HTW allows you to dream!!
For me yes
Fun, friendly, informative, challenging, cold, wet, tiring but addictive!
-Survey Monkey Feedback