I did my first sprint triathlon at Feldmarksee, in Sassenberg, Münsterland, in 2006. It was a warm freshwater lake that had to be swum across from one side to the other, 26 kilometers of cycling through the Münsterland countryside, followed by a 5-kilometer run on forest paths around the lake. Many farmers sat with their families in front of their farms along the road and cheered us on. It was a very friendly, family-like atmosphere on race days, which, of course, has changed over the years.
Back in Portugal, I really wanted to continue. Three friends and I signed up for our first triathlon in Oeiras. The weather was mixed and the water was cold. We didn’t go into the water before the race because it was too cold. The water must have been around 14 degrees, at least that’s what it felt like. Shortly after the start, after just a few meters, one of my friends turned back and gave up right away. I kept swimming with the other friend and tried to survive doing breaststroke. With the buoyancy of the wetsuit, I was kicking my legs more out of the water than in, and it was frustrating. I had to learn to swim freestyle properly, so I signed up for an adult swimming course and started training twice a week. Many years have passed since then and my technique has improved, but transitioning to open water swimming in the sea remained a big challenge. The stress, the waves, and the cold constantly made me switch to breaststroke during competitions. A few years ago, I took part in a trial training session at the Oceanic Pool. Who gave the training? Bibiana. I really enjoyed it! But swim4fun didn’t exist yet.
By 2024, it had already been 6 years since my last sprint triathlon and my gear was stored away in the basement. I was training at a fitness club, well protected, with a personal trainer and a swimming coach, but with no sporting ambitions.
Then Ira appeared, whose name must be mentioned here because my life has taken interesting turns because of her. So many times, she told me, “This is for you! It’s amazing!” (Ira’s favorite word) that one day we arranged to meet at Praia da Torre, in Oeiras, for a SWOD training session. There, I met Bibiana again. Once more, I was enchanted by her training and thought... this is it! ... This is really it!
I joined W+ and immediately liked the group. Every Saturday morning at 10 o’clock, we would—and still do—go swimming in the sea in Cascais, even in winter! Even in winter! Oh, what a challenge! It demands overcoming yourself, but it’s possible, and afterwards, you feel... well, accomplished, satisfied, healthy, and full of energy!
After that, everything happened very quickly. Ira signed up for the swim4fun club, and so did I. I tried the 2000m at the Long Training Festival and, except for the first signs of muscle cramps in my legs and feet in the last few meters, it turned out to be a doable task.
I signed up for the Oeiras sprint triathlon, which, naturally, became a must after a winter in the sea, and finally, finally, I did a triathlon the way I always wanted—swimming freestyle! I was able to enjoy the triathlon, this time even the swimming part... and I finished, very happy!
Last weekend we were with swim4fun in Caxias at the Open Water Race, and it was the first time I swam 1500 meters of freestyle all at once in a competition.
Today, my husband asked me: “Why do you keep training? You’ve already done the triathlon.” – “I signed up for the national swimming circuit.” 😁
Stefanie Michalke