On Saturday, May 18th, the Pre-Onco Swim 2024 took place at Club Nàutic Estartit, an event consisting of swimming 30 km with the goal of raising funds against Triple Negative Breast Cancer. This time, Club Nàutic Estartit took a step forward by collaborating with OncoSwim and committing to this project by forming their own team.
The two teams of the Pre-Onco Swim
The swimmers from Club Nàutic Estartit were Sergi Roure, Alex Amorós, Albert Borrell, and Francesc Granada. On the other hand, the EvoWall team included Guillem Amorós, Pau Roura, Jordi Rosés, Àlex Ortega, and Gerard Alemany. Additionally, Anna Garcia, president of the referees committee of the Catalan Swimming Federation, was present to validate the times and distances covered.
The crossing
At 6:15 in the morning, all the swimmers already had their wetsuits ready, lubricant applied, and a challenge ahead: to complete a 30 km Pre-Onco Swim.
At 7:00 am, the starting signal was given. The route consisted of departing from Club Nàutic Estartit, circling Meda Gran, passing between Meda Gran and Meda Petita, following the entire Pals beach until reaching Cap Sa Sal, Cap de Begur, Tamariu, Cap de Sant Sebastià, the Formigues Islands, and finally arriving at Calella de Palafrugell.
At km 2.5, between the Medas, the swimmers faced a multitude of jellyfish, which posed a significant mental challenge. Once past this stretch, at Pals beach, the crossing became more peaceful, despite a slightly rough sea. The Tramontana wind helped at first but complicated the return.
From km 20 onwards, some swimmers had to stop due to fatigue and cold. Finally, Guillem Amorós and Gerard Alemany completed the entire route. Claudia Giralt, from the support boat, joined the last 10 km to encourage them. This was the first time Guillem Amorós completed the 30 km: a remarkable achievement.
The Club Nàutic Estartit team also stood out with their personal accomplishments. Francesc Granada completed the entire crossing without a wetsuit, Albert Borell managed to swim without protection for 3 hours, and Sergi Roura reached 22 km. Although the headwind made the return difficult, the EvoWall team completed the crossing in 8 hours, followed by Club Nàutic Estartit with a time of 8 hours and 17 minutes.
After the crossing, all participants enjoyed a well-deserved meal with a good rice dish.
The Purpose of the Pre-Onco Swim
The Pre-Onco Swim takes place two weeks before the OncoSwim. This way, the Radikal Swim OncoSwim organization team can join the movement to raise funds.
Currently, it has been organized for eight years, and thanks to the donations from the participating teams, significant progress has been made in the fight against Triple Negative Breast Cancer.