Dublin City Tri

Stevo1983

They were filling up plastic cups of it at the finish line.
Sank a few to kill whatever I had swallowed in the Liffey.

cjt156

No end of coke first left at the finish. Necked a couple as soon as the timing chip was taken. Get medical attention if this keeps up, folks.

Kurt_Godel

I had coke at the finish (they had antibacterial handwash too). Interesting about the coke needing to be from a can. Keri-Anne Payne always keeps a can in her swim bag after rivers and lakes.

A few others from our club down for the count today too!

68 lost souls

I had the hand wash alright, washed my arms and face with it too

griffin100

Two of my sisters in law did the supersprint and are fine (they probably spent more time in the water than the OD swimmers).

Water quality tends to diminish after heavy rain as you get a lot of crap being washed into the river. I wounder when the last water quality test was done for this race. I remember for my first ever tri they cancelled the swim due to poor water quality after heavy rain.

viperlogic

Can cola prevent stomach upsets after swimming in open water?

68 lost souls

griffin100 wrote: »

Two of my sisters in law did the supersprint and are fine (they probably spent more time in the water than the OD swimmers).

Water quality tends to diminish after heavy rain as you get a lot of crap being washed into the river. I wounder when the last water quality test was done for this race. I remember for my first ever tri they cancelled the swim due to poor water quality after heavy rain.

If i recall correctly 2 years ago they posted the daily quality tests leading up to the even on their web page and Facebook. Didn't see it this year

sconhome

68 lost souls wrote: »

If i recall correctly 2 years ago they posted the daily quality tests leading up to the even on their web page and Facebook. Didn't see it this year

There were big concerns about weils in the lead up then too IIRC. TI posted some 'unrelated' Weils advice in the weeks beforehand

Oryx

I know you cant see or taste ecoli bugs, but I thought the water on Sunday was pretty clean. No worse than any other river I've been in. Either way were never going to know whether it was the swim or not. But next year im bringing a can of coke just in case! And fwiw today I think I'm gonna live. Hope everyone else is improving too.

RacoonQueen

68 lost souls wrote: »

If i recall correctly 2 years ago they posted the daily quality tests leading up to the even on their web page and Facebook. Didn't see it this year

AKW wrote: »

There were big concerns about weils in the lead up then too IIRC. TI posted some 'unrelated' Weils advice in the weeks beforehand

That was because the previous year a lot of people were sick after the race and there were a lot of concerns.
The DCT thread is the same on the Tuesday after the race every year with a load of people reporting being sick.

tunney

RacoonQueen wrote: »

That was because the previous year a lot of people were sick after the race and there were a lot of concerns.
The DCT thread is the same on the Tuesday after the race every year with a load of people reporting being sick.

viperlogic wrote: »

Can cola prevent stomach upsets after swimming in open water?

The same conversation happens every year and the same things are said.

"Its the liffey that must be it".

Not the suppressed immune system coupled with a rake of pints afterwards.

Yes its dirty, all OW in ireland is. Life when you don't adhere to the European clean water directives eh?

Oryx

tunney wrote: »

The same conversation happens every year and the same things are said.

"Its the liffey that must be it".

Not the suppressed immune system coupled with a rake of pints afterwards.

Yes its dirty, all OW in ireland is. Life when you don't adhere to the European clean water directives eh?

I dont know if it was the river. I just know I got sick, and a few others from here. You did too, so you say, maybe your illness was caused by a rake of pints? If it were a supressed immune system why dont we get sick after every race? After longer races?

Tbh I dont care if the water made me sick. Its a chance you take swimming in ow. If you want clean, swim in a pool. Ill still go back and do it again. Its a good race.

MAntoD

Have just surfaced from a 24hr bout of vomiting myself. It came on yesterday morning (Tuesday) so doubt it had anything to do with the Liffey. Think it might be something I ate on Monday evening. I'm at work today and while I feel a bit weak, I've had a light breakfast and it's staying down.

Like many have said here, that part of the Liffey will have the same water quality as any other river or lake in the country. We don't follow the European clean water directives in Ireland so, while it's up to race organisers to make sure the water is within "safe" levels, you are still taking a risk by swimming in it.

Worth saying also that with the weather as bad as it was on Sunday, you would have been breathing (and drinking) lots of spray from the road in the Phoenix park. It's common for people to end up with stomach issues after riding in really wet weather.

tunney

Oryx wrote: »

I dont know if it was the river. I just know I got sick, and a few others from here. You did too, so you say, maybe your illness was caused by a rake of pints? If it were a supressed immune system why dont we get sick after every race? After longer races?

Tbh I dont care if the water made me sick. Its a chance you take swimming in ow. If you want clean, swim in a pool. Ill still go back and do it again. Its a good race.

Nothing as adventurous as a rake of pints. A bug a little person brought back into the house.

and still ricky villa

Another victim

Arrived home sweaty and bloated and up all night with 'stomach problems'

I might be able to narrow things down though.
I swam slow but was in the 5th wave so could hug the central divider thing (last year I was slow enough to hug the bank to keep out of the waves that caught me, got very, very sick)
I'm allergic to dairy so most of the goodie bag was off limits. I only ate my normal food on the day
I didn't have the chili afterwards or any Coke either. Just the Erdinger

My money is on the run off from all the rain into the river. Or the suspiciously warm water (could that many people pee in their wetsuit at one time?)

It's a chance you take in any open water event so won't deter me. In the long run the entry fee is covering a good cleanse too

Ranjo

I'm down too. Stomach making big growling noises and, well I won't go into any more detail. In a course todsy so hve to stick it out another hour & half.

Stevo1983

and still ricky villa wrote: »

My money is on the run off from all the rain into the river. Or the suspiciously warm water (could that many people pee in their wetsuit at one time?)

I thought I got away with that...

mossym

MAntoD wrote: »

. It's common for people to end up with stomach issues after riding in really wet weather.

most of the cyclists in ireland would be sick three quarters of the year it were that prevalent

Podge83

Ahhhh, the usual chat about sickness after DCT. Piranha, as they take the precautions for Irish "fresh" water that all should probably cause much of the talk about this. It probably makes the subject more prevalent in peoples minds. Coke at the finish, Handwash, Wetsuit shampoo, Weil's disease guidance in the race brief. I suppose Piranha should be commended for their openness about this.

Ok, you wouldn't be willingly drinking pints of water from this stretch of the Liffey but all rivers in Ireland have plenty of cow dung, sheep drops and horse sh1te washed in directly and due to farmers "spreading". Weil's disease itself is probably reduced by the heavy rain but the wash in of other stuff wouldn't be helped. The Barrow, the Shannon are they any better??

bryangiggsy

Podge83 wrote: »

Ahhhh, the usual chat about sickness after DCT. Piranha, as they take the precautions for Irish "fresh" water that all should probably cause much of the talk about this. It probably makes the subject more prevalent in peoples minds. Coke at the finish, Handwash, Wetsuit shampoo, Weil's disease guidance in the race brief. I suppose Piranha should be commended for their openness about this.

Ok, you wouldn't be willingly drinking pints of water from this stretch of the Liffey but all rivers in Ireland have plenty of cow dung, sheep drops and horse sh1te washed in directly and due to farmers "spreading". Weil's disease itself is probably reduced by the heavy rain but the wash in of other stuff wouldn't be helped. The Barrow, the Shannon are they any better??

In fairness i did not hear anyone complain on here about sickness after Athy or Athlone?

mossym

bryangiggsy wrote: »

In fairness i did not hear anyone complain on here about sickness after Athy or Athlone?

or the thomond swim, boruman, lough derg sprint, and probably lots of other events in the shannon this year.

i'm sure tehy're not as clean as we like, but people not getting sick. that's a huge number sick from teh members here, which is only a small portion of the overall numbers.

i mentioned it to a friend of mine yesterday who used do a lot of kayaking, and he laughed, said they had the same issues with the liffey decent for years, some of the clubs almost saw it as a right of passage, not a real kayaker if the LD hasn't made you sick ( was a joke, but you get the point)

Kurt_Godel

Podge83 wrote: »

Ahhhh, the usual chat about sickness after DCT. Piranha, as they take the precautions for Irish "fresh" water that all should probably cause much of the talk about this. It probably makes the subject more prevalent in peoples minds. Coke at the finish, Handwash, Wetsuit shampoo, Weil's disease guidance in the race brief. I suppose Piranha should be commended for their openness about this.

Ok, you wouldn't be willingly drinking pints of water from this stretch of the Liffey but all rivers in Ireland have plenty of cow dung, sheep drops and horse sh1te washed in directly and due to farmers "spreading". Weil's disease itself is probably reduced by the heavy rain but the wash in of other stuff wouldn't be helped. The Barrow, the Shannon are they any better??

There's a very high number of people sick after this race, that's what makes the chat prevalent, no? The issue is run-off after all the rain, exacerbating problems with an otherwise not-too-clean river. If you've ever done the Liffey Swim race (which takes place lower, within the saltwater tidal basin), they give you all-over disinfectant wash, then stand you under a shower tunnel to wash it off. It's a dirtier river most of the time than the Barrow or Shannon, that's just the way it is.

Don't see anyone knocking Piranha by the way, they do all they can do. Great race, great preparation, great location, but swimming in the Liffey is always a risk of getting sick. Worth it for this race, IMO.

Podge83

bryangiggsy wrote: »

In fairness i did not hear anyone complain on here about sickness after Athy or Athlone?

That's is my point - and I'm only throwing it in to the ring - and I could be completely wrong! People almost expect to be sick after this race.

Piranha simply set out various precautions and warnings before the race. Surely, if the Liffey is a "sickness causing" environment moreover any other "fresh" water location in Ireland human beings shouldn't be allowed in to it in the first place to for an activity where ingestion of the water is practically unavoidable.

I didn't do this race this year but have before. Although the organisation is great, it's a race I'm not personally keen on (reasons other than water quality), but I dare say I'll have ago at it again all the same.

AFAIK water quality tests are taken (isn't it in the TI rules) at various stages including the morning of the race and if they fail the required standards - no swim!.

Look, I'm no expert, but when you see it in the race briefing, wetsuit shampoo in the goodie bag, coke and handwash - it brings it more to mind.

Podge83

Kurt_Godel wrote: »

There's a very high number of people sick after this race, that's what makes the chat prevalent, no? The issue is run-off after all the rain, exacerbating problems with an otherwise not-too-clean river. If you've ever done the Liffey Swim race (which takes place lower, within the saltwater tidal basin), they give you all-over disinfectant wash, then stand you under a shower tunnel to wash it off. It's a dirtier river most of the time than the Barrow or Shannon, that's just the way it is.

Don't see anyone knocking Piranha by the way, they do all they can do. Great race, great preparation, great location, but swimming in the Liffey is always a risk of getting sick. Worth it for this race, IMO.

Ok, it may be a bit dirtier, but if its the runoff from the rain making it worse this isn't the Liffey's fault and could happen in any river.

Kurt_Godel

Podge83 wrote: »

Ok, it may be a bit dirtier, but if its the runoff from the rain making it worse this isn't the Liffey's fault and could happen in any river.

Depends on what the runoff is from- if slurry is spread upriver on the Barrow before rain, there's a good chance of pollution alright, so slurry spread is somewhat controlled according to the weather forecast. If there's an antiquated Victorian sewerage system upriver then the fecal levels in the river rise significantly following rainfall, and thats what happens in the Liffey's case.

Podge83

Kurt_Godel wrote: »

Depends on what the runoff is from- if slurry is spread upriver on the Barrow before rain, there's a good chance of pollution alright. If there's an antiquated Victorian sewerage system upriver then the fecal levels in the river rise significantly following rainfall, and thats what happens in the Liffey's case.

And as its above the weir it doesn't get the tidal washout....

The Lady's not for turning-- U turn time

Jaysus, I'm never doing that race again!!

griffin100

It's a risk you take when swimming in rivers and lakes. I've been swimming in the Barrow this summer as have the kids and so far no problems (it's like swimming in Ballygowan at Bagnelstown, with lots of fish for company). But as Kurt says, all it takes is a farmer to spread slurry adjacent to the river and I could be I trouble. The risk of Lepto doesn't bother me in rivers but bacterial / coliforms would be of more concern. I'd like to see the results of the last water testing done before this race. I'm not knocking the organisers, there's a voluntary assumption of risk when you take part in a river swim, but given the numbers reporting illness here I think it would be useful to see the results of these tests.

Podge83

griffin100 wrote: »

It's a risk you take when swimming in rivers and lakes. I've been swimming in the Barrow this summer as have the kids and so far no problems (it's like swimming in Ballygowan at Bagnelstown, with lots of fish for company). But as Kurt says, all it takes is a farmer to spread slurry adjacent to the river and I could be I trouble. The risk of Lepto doesn't bother me in rivers but bacterial / coliforms would be of more concern. I'd like to see the results of the last water testing done before this race. I'm not knocking the organisers, there's a voluntary assumption of risk when you take part in a river swim, but given the numbers reporting illness here I think it would be useful to see the results of these tests.

how quickly can water quality deteriorate in heavy rain. With a constant flow, if a test is taken at 7.00am, could the water quality be different at 8.00am?

tunney

Podge83 wrote: »

That's is my point - and I'm only throwing it in to the ring - and I could be completely wrong! People almost expect to be sick after this race.

Piranha simply set out various precautions and warnings before the race. Surely, if the Liffey is a "sickness causing" environment moreover any other "fresh" water location in Ireland human beings shouldn't be allowed in to it in the first place to for an activity where ingestion of the water is practically unavoidable.

I didn't do this race this year but have before. Although the organisation is great, it's a race I'm not personally keen on (reasons other than water quality), but I dare say I'll have ago at it again all the same.

AFAIK water quality tests are taken (isn't it in the TI rules) at various stages including the morning of the race and if they fail the required standards - no swim!.

Look, I'm no expert, but when you see it in the race briefing, wetsuit shampoo in the goodie bag, coke and handwash - it brings it more to mind.

Water quality tests done on the morning of the race........ AFAIK the most rapid test for ecoli is a few hours to get the results and I think that the water quality tests are done 3 days before hand - ie before the rain.

68 lost souls

tunney wrote: »

Water quality tests done on the morning of the race........ AFAIK the most rapid test for ecoli is a few hours to get the results and I think that the water quality tests are done 3 days before hand - ie before the rain.

I asked to see the water tests done on the day but no word back