Sport has changed the life of Open Water Swimmer Mary O’Hagan who has overcome chronic pain to completing an English Channel relay.
Mary is an ambassador of the Be Seen, Be Heard, Belong campaign which aims to remove the barriers that stop women from getting involved in sport and physical activity. Through the campaign we want to encourage more female players, coaches, officials & board members to drive change within their sports.
Mary suffered with chronic pain and went in search of a sport that might help ease her pain. She soon found it, once she found the water.
Mary said: “I got into Open Water Swimming in 2019. I started purely for the reported health benefits and I had heard that getting into cold water was good for chronic pain.
“So I went along one day to an organised dip in Portrush with Arcadia Bathing Club and when I came out of the water, I felt like a different woman.”
Sport has now taken her on an unexpected journey which has led her to achieve incredible milestones that are an inspiration to all.
One of those was taking part in the English Channel relay which consists of a swim with a team of people from the South of England to the North of France. The shortest distance between England and France is 21 Miles (32 km) in a straight line but swimmers usually swim in a S shape due to the tide.
Mary explained: “It’s been life changing. I started off by getting in for a dip but for me that can never just be it. I always like to make progress.
“So I would wonder, can I manage to swim a couple of 100 metres today? Can I now manage to get to a kilometre? Can I now get to a mile? I always like to make progress, and I always thrive when I’ve got a challenge. That’s how I’ve got to where I am.
“In the past six years I’ve gone from just getting in the water for pain relief to now swimming an English Channel relay this year and an ice mile.”
Having gone on her own journey, she now encourages others to begin theirs. Mary has done her coaching qualifications to ensure she can pass on her love of open water swimming safely to others and spread the joy of sport and physical activity.
As well as being an activity that has helped her physically, it has also been brilliant for her mental wellbeing by being part of a community. Mary added: “In the dipping community, it’s very heavily female orientated. There is a fantastic sense of community.
“It’s women of my age, which is what I like. There are multiple ages, but many are my age, like middle-aged people. Everybody is lovely within it. It’s a very welcoming community and people love to see other folks doing well. We celebrate each other, even if it’s only taking the first step and you’ve overcome your fear of getting into the water.”
If you fancy having a go and have been inspired by Mary and her story, she has some final words of advice. Mary concluded: “First of all, don’t go off and buy a pile of gear. Literally a swimming costume, a little pair of water shoes to keep your feet safe, a tow float and a brightly coloured swim cap.
“Find a group. Never go by yourself and just try it out because I have never known anybody who has tried this sport, that didn’t take something away from it. If all you ever want to do is come and get in for a dip and find a new community and socialise, that is there.
“If you are that person that sees somebody swimming off gracefully into the distance and you think, I want to do that, please don’t think you can’t. I thought I was never going to be able to do that. If you work at it, you will be able to do it. But, you will need a little bit of coaching and a little bit of help along the way.”
If you are interested in getting involved in Open Water Swimming, please check out the Swim Ulster website here for further information: www.swimulster.com/open-water/
Find out more about our Be Seen, Be Heard, Belong campaign to empower women & girls in sport here: www.beseenbeheardbelong.co.uk