... ere I saw Elba. An enormous thank you to the Piombino Swimming Club (SNP) and the organisers of the Etruscan 10km swimming marathon at the weekend. It was a day when the best of Italy was on display; friendship, warmth, kindness and an abundance of Italian swimming talent holding world class titles.
A list of 72 swimmers had signed up to take part in the “Prova del Grand Prix di Fondo 10km” or the Etruscan marathon as it known. It was professionally organised and marshalled by SNP, many of whom are members of FIN, the Italian National Swimming Federation.
Many Italian open water champions had selected this race as a warm-up for the world championships taking place in Barcelona from 19 July to 4 August. The galaxy of swimmers included Alice Franco, the 2011 women’s 25km European champion, Federico Vanelli, the 2013 World Cup silver medallist and Simone Ruffini a 15km world cup winner this year.
60 swimmers took to the start line, and they were introduced by Master of Ceremonies Fabrizio Puccini, with their swimming pedigree. Top of the class were the low numbers hailed as ‘national 10km champion’, ‘Euro 25km champ’ and ‘European 10km medallist’… By the time they reached swimmer number 57, two factors settled my moniker for the day; one was a huge layer of factor 50 sunblock, the other my surname pronunciation. And so Signor Puccini introduced me as “Il Biancone” or in English, 'The Big White One'. (I don't think my reaching the last 32 of the Irish community national games in backstroke as a 14 year old would really have cut the mustard in this company.) The locals were all bronzed to the maximum thanks to training in open air 50m pools.
The race started with a 4km loop, followed by two 3km laps. There were no feed points for the swimmers, so all had taken their own gels for nutrition and hydration. I had expected to be able to get to a water bottle at the end of each lap but this was not allowed. The organisers who really had eyes for their stars were incredibly kind and took two of my bottles to feed me. Thanks to the efforts and organisation of the boat and paddling teams and Susannah in particular, they found me at the right time. Given the class of the field and the rules, there was no reason why they should have given me drinks. A lovely gesture.
On race completion, I joined the other swimmers for a meal and conversation. My friend Signor Puccini, a man very familiar with the Serpentine lido had microphone in hand and made a speech and presentation to the person who came last in the race. Susannah presented me with a plate of Etruscan design and swimming cap from Piombino SC.
This 10km race was my longest swim in distance, and at 7kms, it felt like a long way to the finish, but with 2kms to go, I knew I could complete the distance. The rules stated that the race would end 90 minutes after the arrival of the winner, a feat only possible for me with a speed boat. With about 2kms to go, they informed me that the race was over. I was offered the choice to get in the boat or finish the swim – not this time. Susannah and the crew followed me to the finish where I received a pleasant greeting from Alessandro Bagiardi and some of the other organisers. I finished 46th of 60 swimmers and was the last finisher, although technically with 14 retirements during the race, I was not last. Patrick Donati took photos and they are on his face book link here.
So what did I learn? That I can swim 10kms – a marathon, my first marathon. That I need to learn more about propulsion in the water. That swimming is my sport. That Italian swimmers are a friendly talented group. And that the sunburn hurts more than my shoulder muscles.In summary, this was a great experience, made all the better by the hospitality of the organisers and all the swimmers. Grazie mille Societa Nuoto Piombino….
Il Biancone.
johntierneyswim AT live DOT com
John Tierney completes Etruscan 10km swim marathon
