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Kevin Williams and Elaine Burrows Dillane.
TWO Tralee swimmers will be inducted into the Ireland Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Class of 2022 next month.
Elaine Burrows Dillane will receive the honour for her achievements in marathon swimming and giving back to the sport, while Kevin Williams will be rewarded for his long term dedication to and promotion of the sport and success in coaching swimmers to their target marathon swims.
This induction will take place at the ILDSA (Irish Long Distance Swimming Association) at their awards ceremony on Saturday, November 19 in Mullingar.
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Elaine Burrows Dillane was the second female and sixth swimmer overall to complete the Original Triple Crown: North Channel 34.5 km (2021), English Channel 33 km (2019) and Bristol Channel 27km (2022).
She was the first female swimmer and second swimmer to complete the Irish Triple Crown: North Channel, Fastnet to Baltimore 19.1 km (2020) and Galway Bay 10 km (2021).
She is also only the second female swimmer from Ireland complete both the North and English Channels – and with the fastest times (as of 9-2022): 14 hours 54 minutes and 30 seconds and 12 hours 45 minutes.
Her other marathons include: Blennerville to Maharees 20 km (2018), Fenit to Blennerville Return 16 km (2017), around Ringarogy Island 10 km (2019) and Fenit to Derrymore Return 10 km (2019)
Elaine has also raised €21,000 for Brain Tumour Ireland through her English Channel Swim and crewed for Gerard McDonnell’s 20 km Muckalugh Swim and David Conradie’s Fastnet Swim.
Kevin Williams has dedicated over 15 years to the advancement of swimming in Tralee and since 2011 led open water swimming.
Kevin helped organise ‘Across the Tralee Bay Challenge 5km’ in 2007 and reinstated it in 2013 which has been completed by more than 350 swimmers.
In 2009, he reintroduced ‘Blennerville to Fenit 8km’ – completed by more than 250 swimmers. He also started ‘The Tralee Bay Winter Swimming and Turkey Series’ in 2013.
Kevin organised the first local marathon in 2009, ‘Maharees to Fenit 12km’ – completed by more than 40 swimmers.
Up to September 2022, 13 swimmers have completed 18 ratified marathon swims under his guidance in Tralee Bay.
He has been coach to Elaine’s Irish and Original Triple Crowns and has crewed on many channel crossings. Kevin is an accomplished marathoner himself with the Blennerville to Maharees 20km and Fenit to Blennerville return 16km.
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