Breaking one Canadian masters swim record would be an achievement for most people.
Karl Donoghue of Okanagan Masters Swim Club (OMSC) established new standards an incredible 100 times.
Competing in the age group 75-79, Donoghue (76) reached this milestone in Richmond recently when he knocked a full minute and 18 seconds off the existing 1500-metre long course Canadian record.
His latest Canadian records include the 200, 400, 800-metre freestyle and the 50, 100 and 200-metre long course backstroke, as well as short course records for the 200-metre backstroke and 800 and 1500-metre freestyle.
The Penticton-based Donoghue trains five times per week, swimming an average of 12-14 kilometres per week, and has been swimming competitively for 47 years. Asked what drives him, Donoghue quips, “There is nothing else to do at 6 a.m. in the morning.”
As OMSC president Sharon Spring explains, “Karl is an unassuming swimmer and we are incredibly proud to have him as a member of the OMSC team. He is an inspiration to all of us and is living proof that swimming is a lifelong sport.”
Spring added, “With Kelowna’s H20 Adventure and Fitness Centre as our base, OMSC has put together one of the best Masters swimming programs in Canada, with nine sessions per week and six experienced coaches.
“Our approximately 120 members can attest to the fact that swimming as part of a group makes exercise a whole lot easier and more enjoyable, even at 6 a.m.”
OMSC will be hosting the 2017 BC Masters Provincial Swimming Championships in April, and expects to attract up to 300 swimmers and their families to the Okanagan. For more information on Okanagan Masters contact Greg Harris at registrar@okmasters.com
