Gráinne Moss is arguably Irelands most accomplished female open water swimmer.
At 16 she was the first female to represent Ireland in open water swimming at the World Championships.
At 17 she became the first Irish woman to swim the English Channel. She has continued to achieve many firsts including the first Irish woman to swim Cook Strait (2001) Foveaux (2022), Lake Taupō (2021) and the Channel of Bones in Hawaii (2023).
Gráinne holds three Triple Crowns of Open Water Swimming (awarded when a swimmer has completed three of the toughest swims in any nation) - including appropriately the Irish and New Zealand Triple Crowns given she was born in Ireland and moved to New Zealand in 1998.
Since 2022 Gráinne has teamed up with Kenzie's Gift to use her swims as an opportunity to raise vital funds for this important charity which cares for children and young people who have experienced serious loss and grief.
Her next adventure is in May this year when she will swim the famous straits of Gibraltar crossing from Africa to Spain.
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Listen to Gráinne Now!
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Show notes
Who is Gráinne
Being born in Ireland
Emigrating to New Zealand at the end of the 90s
Living in Wellington, New Zealand
Representing Ireland and the first Open Water Swimming Championships (1986)
Her early years and memories of water
Being spotted as talented at swimming at 6 years old
Wanting to better herself and try new things
Swimming for Bangor Swim Club
Making the transition to open water swimming
Meeting people from around the world who loved open water swimming
The pressure of swimming competitively and wanting to swim well
Getting married and having 4 children
Swimming through out the years
Getting back into big swims in 2021
Lessons learning from the big swims
Making an emotional commitment to the swim
Keeping motivated while waiting to compete the big swims
Having her family involved in the big swims
What the journey of a swim looks like
Swimming the Channel of Bones in Hawaii (43km)
Having anxiety and neves before the swim and feeling full of doubt
Taking medication for sea sickness
Swimming for charity - Kenzie’s Gift
Training and maintaining swim fitness
Working with a swim coach (Phillip Rush) and the importance of stretching
The importance of recovery
Handing changes in her body over the years
Being aware of her body
Not using a watch or GPS
Learning how to train smart
Nutrition while swimming and getting the fuel needed to complete the big swims
Homemade leek and potato swims for the cold swims
The importance of feeding fast
Digging deep and getting through the dark/tough moments
Taking it one stroke at a time
The next swim challenge in May
Swimming from Spain to Morocco - The Straits of Gibraltar
How to connect with Gráinne
Final words of advice for new swimmers and swimmers who want to take it to the next level
The power of finding your community
Social Media
Website: grainnemoss.com
Instagram: @swimirishkiwi
Charity: Kenzie’s Gift supports the mental health of tamariki (children) and mātātahi (young people) affected by serious illness or grief.
Link to Fundraising: winter-swim-challenge-2024.raiselysite.com/grainne-moss
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