The Ice Swimming and Open Water Romania Association (ISOWR) organised, at the end of last week, Romania's first swimrun competition, a race in which participants alternate between swimming in the sea and running on the sand, with no transition zones; the event marked the end of the Atlantis Water Sports Festival.

The swimrun competition, held on the Black Sea coast, brought together nearly 40 athletes at the start, who swam whilst wearing trainers and ran with swimming goggles on their heads and, in some cases, with swim fins on their feet, covering distances ranging from 900 metres to 4.15 kilometres in the swimming part of the race, and from 5.6 kilometres to 19 kilometres in the run.

'This competition was a dream of mine and of Bogdan Ionita, an extreme triathlete and the most experienced in such races. He explained to the participants that in Sweden and all the Nordic countries, where he has competed, the waves are even bigger, and there are no lifeguards there, as we had here. 'Over there, you have to manage on your own; you're on your own, so the waves are part and parcel of this open-water sport,' ISOWR President Paul Georgescu told AGERPRES.

The individual sprint event, which involved a 900-metre swim in the Black Sea and a 5.6-kilometre run, was won in the men's category by 16-year-old Rares-Mihai Dobre, and in the women's category by 14-year-old Andra Cinciulescu.

Photo: Paul GEORGESCU

'I found it a wonderful experience, but also difficult, as I hadn't tried such an endeavour so far and there were waves. Moreover, I swam with my training shoes on. When I entered the water, I felt a heavy weight keeping me from moving forward. The other competitors also felt it, because I talked to them after the race. The second time I went in the water it felt somewhat easier,' Andra Cinciulescu said.

She has been swimming since the age of three and has been competing in triathlons for several years; so far, she has won several prizes at various competitions.

'These prizes don't matter in material terms. They represent the result of the effort I put in every day during training. I can't say I've missed out on anything because of training, because I do it all for the sheer joy of it. I don't think you can do this sport, triathlon, unless you do it for the sheer joy of it,' added Andra Cinciulescu.

The Atlantisman Swimrun competition concluded the water sports festival organised by ISOWR over the last three weekends on the Constanta coast; the swimming and water polo events held in Jupiter, as well as in Mangalia harbour, attracted large crowds, as well as leading figures in Romanian swimming, with Anca Patrascoiu, Carmen Bunaciu, David Popovici and Vlad Stancu being just a few of them.

'It came as a surprise to me too to see these ladies at the start of the Romanian Cup competition, which took place at the same time as the Atlantisman. I was absolutely delighted, because they were there for me when I swam 100 kilometres in the ‘Lia Manoliu' pool. They're always there for the swimmers,' said Paul Georgescu, referring to the 10-kilometre swimming competition in the Black Sea, Atlantisman, which took place on Sunday 30 August.

In fact, the public also turned out in force to support the athletes, with the sponsors of the 4x4 Beach Water Polo competition setting up a special area in Mangalia Harbour for spectators and rewarding them with various prizes, according to ISOWR.

'Even though the summer season is over, the association isn't taking a break, because in January it will be organising the World Ice Swimming Championships in Oradea. I expect there to be over 1,000 participants, including athletes who have competed at the Olympic Games. My dream is for Romania to become number one in the world; it is currently number one in Europe,' concluded the ISOWR president.

First held in 2024, the Atlantisman is the first competition to challenge participants to swim 10 kilometres in the Black Sea, and this year it also hosted the Romanian Cup. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Luisiana Bigea; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)