Sunday 29th August - The Day of the Bog

We arrived at 'Bog Zero' early so we could check out what was to come. Despite the rain some of the keen ones were already starting to arrive. We've only been rained on twice during our holiday so I guess it all just added to the occasion here and noone else seemed to be worried anyway. I suppose when you're about to enter a smelly, dirty bog trench where the water is only 12 degrees Celsius, who cares about a little bit of rain! After watching about 20 or so others enter the murky waters and even struggle breathing let alone make their way to the other end of the trench and back I figured this is probably going to be harder than it looks and I was right. At least I was wearing a wetsuit, most of the others weren't and I don't think the superhero costumes etc. would have helped that much.

'The Bog'

My turn came so I slid in the trench trying not to think about it too much. No sooner had I reached the white starting post when the timekeeper called 3, 2, 1, GO. I dived in and the noise of the yelling and cheering stopped and all I could hear was me struggling to breath through my snorkel. The cold water just took your breath away and it was almost a surreal feeling looking into the brown murk. Then I realised it's probably no worse than swimming back home in Lake Albert and there's definately no chance of getting run over by a speed boat!!! I seemed to make it to the turn around post fairly quickly and thought I was doing OK then I really started to fade on the way back. My legs felt really dead and everything was just starting to go numb but I wasn't going to stop now so I struggled to the end and was just glad that I made it.

Done... and have the medal to prove it!

Yes, that's one event down! I climbed out of the trench and straight away was interviewed by a French television crew (strange but true). An official put the bog snorkelling finishers medal around my neck and I couldn't have been happier than a pig in poo - literally! We then enjoyed sitting around watching some of the other idiots take to the trench. Some serious, some not, but all having a good time and the crowd cheered and yelled for everyone. It was really good fun despite the rain and the mud.





After a while the rain stopped and the sun came out so we decided it was time to head back to the campsite to have a shower and get cleaned up. But not before having a go at 'bathtubbing'. This is a new event where you paddle a bathtub as if it was a kayak and it will be included along with bog snorkelling in the 'Alternative Games' which this town is hosting during the London 2012 Olympics.
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