Hours of swimming laps in the pool morning and evening five days a week, combined with hours cold water training and ocean swimming at weekends – a young Olympian in training perhaps?
Not so. This is the schedule of 64-year-old long distance swimmer Sue Oldham.
During the first week of August the grandmother of five will attempt her third crossing of the 35km English Channel. In 2006 Sue was a member of the oldest team to cross the Channel, and the same year became the oldest woman in the world to complete the solo Channel swim. Sue, who grew up in the country, didn’t learn to swim as a child. “We were into horse riding and netball, but I never learned to swim,” she said. “I only started swimming 16 years ago when I decided I wanted to do something physical to keep myself active.
“I joined the Aussie Masters and at that time I couldn’t swim 25 metres.
“A friend suggested I join him in the Rottnest Channel open water swim, so I began training for that and had my first attempt in 2002.” The Rottnest swim is about 19.2km and to date Sue has complete six successful solo crossings, two duo crossings and six (four-member) team crossings.” Sue’s training schedule would leave many youngsters breathless. “For a Rottnest solo crossing I would be pool training five times a week and ocean swimming Sunday mornings,” she said. “Then about four months out I would increase my training to include extra pool sessions at night.
“For the English Channel you need to register your interest with your skipper a good two years before your anticipated crossing, such is the keen interest from swimmers world wide.
“My preparation for that is just a continuation of my normal training except far more intense.” Sue says it was necessary to keep motivated and dig deep to achieve the mental stability and mental and physical endurance for marathon swimming. Luckily, her body handles the cold water well. “Smearing your body with lanolin and wool fat stops you freezing,” she said. “It’s certainly not a glamour sport.” Sue hasn’t let an injury cramp her style. “In July 2009 I had a left shoulder repair and so couldn’t swim for more than six weeks, but as soon as I could get back into the water I started on a kicking regime,” she said. Sue says she could not have achieved any of her swims without the wonderful support of her coach Pauline Pratt of the Barracudas Swim Club. “It might be a solo crossing, but you need supporters and I have a great bunch of friends, those who train with me in the pool and a different group who love the ocean,” she said. “My son and five grandchildren, my three sisters, brothers-in-law, and extended family are also very supportive and positive, although they do think I am a little mad.” |
