Kellie Mathews

I'm training with Can Too for the 2/2.5km Ocean Swim... AGAIN!

Wednesday 22nd Oct

This is my third summer in the orange cossie, and this time I am excited to be leading a pod of swimmers, as Team Captain for Victoria Park.

What is Can Too I hear you say: a health promotion organisation that engages and inspires individuals and the community to achieve personal health, wellbeing and altruistic goals.
 
Beginners and experienced athletes alike are given professional coaching as part of a team to run or swim in endurance events- including 10km, half-marathon and marathon runs; as well as ocean swims and triathlons.
 
In return, I am raising valuable funds that go towards innovation in the prevention, care and control of cancer. In 2014, our Can Too community has supported 19 early career researchers through Cure Cancer Australia.

Last year, as a mentor, I decided that the only way to support my mentees was to get in there and face a fear of my own, and that was to swm a beach to beach swim. I did that, in just over an hour, and i'm back again this year to hopefully do it again, and shave some minutes off my time!

In 2012, when I first joined Can Too, I joined for two very important reasons:

1. My dear aunt has passed away from Lung Cancer 12 months earlier in London, and I wanted to do something in her memory, having not been able to see her in her final days or attend the funeral, I wanted to raise money for Cancer research, so that other people didn't have to suffer like her and my other aunt who passed away 14 year prior.

2. I feared the ocean, it was almost irrational, but waves, sand and salt water just seemed all a bit daunting for this chlorinated pool swimmer, and living in a beauiful city surrounded by the most amazing beaches in the world, I knew I had to do something about that.

After many many laps of the pool and toes dipped in the ocean, with the help of my patient coaches and mentors I managed to overcome my fear, and realise that hey, i'm not bad at this ocean swimming thing! Needless to say, i've now become slightly obessed with the ocean, having now competed in countless ocean swims, completed my bronze medallion and become a Bondi Surf Lifesaver, I want to give back to an organisation that has arguably changed my life.

I've decided that this season, i'm going to document the process as my pod goes through the 12 week challenge to become an ocean swimmer, and prepare for the swim of their life.

We're in "pre season" at the moment, and starting next week with a Team Captain and Mentor meeting, followed by training commencing the following week.

Stay tuned as I take you through our journey this summer :)

SYOTB :)