Elaine Burrows Dillane: I won't get out (of the water) unless you take me out...I never feel like giving up

It was an honour to meet the Queen of the Seas, Elaine Burrows Dillane who holds the original Triple Crown '22 (English Channel, North Channel, Bristol Channel) and the Irish Triple Crown '21 (Fastnet, Galway Bay, North Channel) of open water swimming. Her incredible achievements were recognised when she was inducted as an Honour Swimmer in the Hall of Fame -Marathon Swimmming Ireland class of 2022. She was also awarded the 2022 Senior Female Swimmer of the year by the ILDSA (Irish Long Distance Swimming Association). She is a member of the Fenit Funky Femmes who completed a relay swim of the English Channel in 2022  and they received the ILDSA John Earls Award for the Most Arduous Swim crossing from Fenit Lighthouse to Loop Head in 2022. Elaine also won the World Cup Ireland Ice Swimming 1km Championships in 2018.

It is mind blowing to think that Elaine achieved all this after only returning to swimming just seven years ago, having not swum much since she was a child. Getting back into her costume after having children was a huge challenge for Elaine but she overcame that and has gone on to conquer some of the most toughest swims in the world, showing what is possible if you can just step out of your comfort zone, follow your passion and never give up.

We talked about:

 - How swimming brought a very shy Elaine out of herself

 - How Elaine got over being self-conscious in her togs (i.e. a swimming costume!) after children

 - What scares Elaine most about the sea (and it's not sharks!)

 - The training involved for a marathon swim

 - What happens when you hit the wall during a swim 

 - Finding a new lease of life in your 50's

 - Girl power with the Fenit Funky Femmes

Follow Elaine: 

@lainey3950

@fenit_funky_femmes

Follow us:

@whatawomanpodcast

Inspiring conversations with a diverse group of women that have achieved great things across different professions. Including guests like Jacqui Hurley, Carol Brick, Ciara Griffin, Louise Galvin, Louise Quill, Elaine Burrows Dillane, Caitriona O' Sullivan and more! We discuss how they achieved their goals or childhood dreams, the sacrifices they made and the resilience they needed to get to where they are now to encourage us all to get the best out of ourselves.

• No. of episodes: 50
• Latest episode: 2024-06-26
• Society & Culture

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