Success breeds success. Just four years in being, the Irish Indoor Championships has drawn its biggest entry ever.
When entries closed on Wednesday night, 980 individuals had signed up for the Limerick-based test.
"Some clubs will get in touch in the next few days, so I'd say we'll top 1,000," said organiser Joe Cantillon. "We already have 160 more entries than last January."
Cantillon thinks the growing numbers for the championships, which will be held in Limerick on January 23rd, are partly attributable to the length it has been established. Overseas entrants now pencil it into their programmes; one is coming all the way from Malta.
The concept
The Ireland high performance programme has also bought fully into the concept, and the event is a mandatory one for the Ireland training group.
“The Rio boys and girls will be there,” says Cantillon.
Last year, Sinéad Jennings was recovering from injury and was tested on a Watt Bike, and she may do her test this year in this way, in Limerick or at the NRC in Cork.
“I hope it is at the Indoors. I thrive off the buzz,” she said.
Cantillon is equivocal about Watt Bikes becoming part of the event. “We are fundamentally a rowing society. But then Sinéad is awesome!”
Kerry clubs have been part of the news in the past week: Workmen’s in Killarney have serious concerns about their picturesque boathouse after dreadful flooding, while Muckross announced that their head of the river, which was originally set for December 5th but had to be cancelled, has been rescheduled for March 5th.
Sarah Outen’s ocean rowing boat, which she abandoned in the Atlantic last year, was returned to her in Castletownbere this week, courtesy of the local RNLI lifeboat. The Briton was hoping to row across the Atlantic as part of a charity fundraiser.
This year's Atlantic Challenge rowing race across the ocean is in full swing. Ten years ago Paul Gleeson and Tori Holmes completed the race, and Gearóid Towey and Ciarán Lewis made a brave escape from a capsize. Among the strong Irish entry over the years were Adam Burke from Skerries and Rob Byrne from Bray, part of a record-breaking crew in 2011. However, there no Ireland crews competing this time.
