Cork’s Olga becomes first person to complete gruelling 28km swim route

A woman who has never had a single swimming lesson in her life pioneered a new 10- hour route this summer to raise funds for Kinsale RNLI.

Olga O’Sullivan was the first person to complete the 28km swim from Stag Rocks to Fastnet last month, in 10 hours, 15 minutes.

Even more impressive is that it’s the second route the endurance swimmer pioneered this summer: she was also the first person to complete the 34km round trip of Ailsa Craig in Scotland, in 14 hours, 25 minutes, on July 10.

“There is something special about being the first in the world to complete an unprecedented swim. Speed and age records can be broken, but only one person can be first,” said Olga, who lives in Ballincollig and is originally from St Petersburg.

“I seem to love big rocks in the middle of the ocean, developing quite a theme of swimming to, from, and around them!” she laughed.

The endurance swimmer made headlines in 2024 when she became just the seventh person to swim across the Dal Riata channel between Scotland and Ireland.

She was also the third solo swimmer to complete the 30km route from Madeira to Desertas in 2024, and the second solo and first woman to complete the Head of Blackwater - 26km, from Cappoquin to Youghal on June 8.

“Going off the beaten path attracts me,” said Olga, who also swam the 21km stretch between Fastnet Island and Baltimore in 2023 and raised €11,000 for the Irish Heart Foundation in memory of her husband Colm who died in 2020 from heart failure.

“Unlike most open water swimmers, I do not come from the pool training background,” she said.

“I’ve never had swimming lessons and learnt to swim in the Gulf of Finland, rivers, ponds and lakes.

“For me, swimming has always been about the outdoor adventure. As kids, we were taught to respect the water but not fear it.

“Some of my best childhood memories include having fun in open water and watching sunsets from the lake in summer.

“I only started swimming in the pool as an adult, while waiting for my own children to finish their swimming lessons,” she said.

Balancing family - Olga has two sons, and works as an Accounting Systems Consultant in Dell - with the huge volume of training, can be challenging.

There’s a huge amount of commitment required, along with passion – but Olga isn’t short of either.

“I swim every day, usually before work at around 6am, and for a few hours on weekends. I love open water and resort to the pool only during winter. The open water swimming community in Cork is great, and I love being part of it, swimming at Sandycove, Myrtleville, and Inniscarra. Other times, I cross-train by running and hiking,” she said.

When a shoulder injury derailed her swim ambitions in 2025, Olga still managed a few marathon swims, plus crewing and observing for others, but switched her focus to hiking and running, ascending 117 summits of 35 different Irish mountain peaks with an average elevation of 820m.

With her most recent swim, she’s fundraising for the RNLI Kinsale.

“Much of my training happens around Sandycove island. As a frequent water user, I wanted to support the amazing volunteers saving life at sea,” she said.

The conditions for her Stags Rock to Fastnet swim were challenging, with plenty of textured water, chop and waves ‘to keep things entertaining.’ “The expected tidal push never materialised, but the water was a surprisingly pleasant 16–18°C, and the sunset was absolutely stunning. We were joined by lots of dolphins, swimming incredibly close and occasionally bumping into me as they chased the small fish that were jumping around me, attracted by the boat light in the dark,” said Olga.

They’re called ‘solo’ swims, but Olga said she’d get nowhere without her support boat, pilot and crew.

“I feel forever grateful to them for helping me achieve my dreams: Fastnet Swim’s Kieran, the pilot extraordinaire, Laura, observing the swim for ratification by Irish Long Distance Swimming Association, and my wonderful crew of Frank, Paul, and Yvette, encouraging me all the way,” said Olga, who won The Echo Women in Sport Outstanding Achievement Award in 2024.

The official marathon swims are completed according to strict channel rules, wearing only a simple swimsuit, silicone hat and goggles, with no heat retention attire, no electronics, and no physical contact with crew or boat for the full duration of the swim.

“Your liquid carb feeds are thrown to you in a bottle, tied to a rope. It’s essential to train your mind as well as your body to get through any low points during a long swim. If might get rough and cold, you may feel like you’ve pushed yourself to the brink, but there is always something left in the tank. Sometimes, you zone out; other times, you think about random things, sing songs in your head, get distracted watching your crew on the support boat, scenery, sparks of bioluminescence in the dark, or wildlife around you,” she said.

Ultimately, being in the ocean is a privilege, she said, describing the outdoors as her “happy place”.

What’s her next adventure?

“It took two years to plan, train and get to the start line of my long swims this summer. While I don’t have anything booked for 2027 yet, I’m already discussing some exciting ideas for new routes, so watch this space!”

See: https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/olgaosullivan