Cork Distance Week

Ned Denison, head coach and creator of the Cork Distance Week

Philip Hodges created a summary of the open water swimming successes of the participants in the 2017 Cork Distance Week in Ireland

noun - The Cork Distance Week (Distance Training Week) is a marathon swimming preparation camp designed and led by International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Honour Administrator Ned Denison of Ireland. Held in Sandycove Island in Cork, Ireland as its base, the training camp lays the groundwork to high mileage and significant psychological stress with the goal to help its participants achieve their marathon swimming and channel swimming goals. The seventh day of the event includes the Triple Crown Dinner - which generally welcomes these swimmers/crews from around the world.

The 9-day open water swimming camp, renowned among Channel swimming aspirants, included (until 2019) the Body Brain Confusion Swim where the training crews become all-caring and helpful.

In Sandycove Island, the waters are in the 10-13°C (50-55°F) range, rarely calm and the swimmers have just endured their toughest 8 days of cold open water training of their lives. They leave with a sense of confidence that can see them through their future plans. The camp was a subject of a documentary television program produced by CBS 60 Minutes and broadcast on Showtime in the United States on 7 October 2014.

Body Brain Confusion Swim

This Body Brain Confusion Swim was held until 2019 n the 8th day where a team of coaches (affectionately known as torturers) go out of their way to remove any mental comfort that the swimmers may be experiencing. The total amount of training time remains unknown, the swim course is never straight, the feeds remain infrequent as every possible irritation is tossed in the swimmer's way to prepare them to handle the unexpected during their Channel swims. This was discontinued when the number of swimmers exceeded 75 and safety boats limitation became critical.

During the first 8 days, most English Channel aspirants will rest for their 6-hour qualifier and look for 15°C (59°F) calm waters - the first six hours of their planned marathon swim. On the last day in Cork, the swimmers qualify for the last 6 hours of their planned marathon swim with the Body Brain Confusion Swim.

2012 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year Nomination

Cork Distance Week was nominated for the 2012 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year award. Its World Open Water Swimming Association nomination reads, A tiny part of the world – Sandycove Island in Ireland – has become a must-do and must-see in the channel swimming world. Sandycove plays host to the Cork Distance Week, the absolutely most brutal, the most unforgiving, the downright dastardly difficult open water swimming camp in the world. Led by a mountain of a man who has pushed himself to the brink, the Cork Distance Week has a tremendous record of channel swimming success. Offered for an unbelievable reasonable price in elements that can be completely and thoroughly unreasonable, the Cork Distance Week prepares all-comers for anything and everything in the open water. For its 8-day high mileage of intense preparation, for its unyielding psychological and physiological stress that it offers, for its unequaled record of success, the Cork Distance Week by Ned Denison is a worthy nominee for the 2012 WOWSA Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year.

The Torture Swim

The Torture Swim is a televised segment about the Cork Distance Week founded and organized by Ned Denison in Cork, Ireland. It was created and produced by 60 Minutes of CBS News and will premiere on Showtime in the United States. It was hosted by Jeff Glor and produced by Alan Goldberg.