FORMER track sprinter Tasha Morey has turned her sporting background on its head to complete one of Europe’s most challenging long-distance swims.

The 38-year-old from Winton took just 8 hours 7 minutes to complete the 26.4km Lake Zurich International in Switzerland.

The time was an hour inside her target and made her the seventh finisher overall from a start-list of 40, the third woman home and the second woman in the under 40 category.

And she did it despite opting not to wear a wetsuit.

It was an impressive achievement for a woman who started swimming in Ringwood Leisure Centre’s triathlete training sessions 11 years ago and remained in the “bottom lane” for two years.

“I was a runner and a sprinter at that,” she says. “My mentality is to go quick and get it over and done with.

“But five years ago some friends were doing the Round Brownsea Swim and I joined them and did the Half-Brownsea in two-and-a-half hours.”

Morey, who trains with East Dorset Open Water SC and at David Lloyd in Ringwood and Ferndown Sports Centre, went on to do the full Brownsea distance and the Bournemouth Pier to Pier.

Then two years ago she was invited to replace an injured swimmer in a two-person relay which also forms part of the Zurich International.

With her husband Ben on the support boat, she and her team-mate swam in one-hour shifts and completed the course in eight-and-a-half hours.

That led the county sports partnership officer to enter the individual event this year.

“I love training but I train with people who have all ‘done something’ and I wanted to achieve something myself,” said Morey, who was accompanied on the support boat by her training partner Barry Adams.

“Conditions were lovely. There were blue skies and water with a temperature of 20C.

“I was terrified beforehand and swore that I would never do it a second time. The biggest battle is the mental one and in the race there is the physical one.

“But I was amazed at my time and I woke up next day with no aches and pains.

“Now I feel I have proved myself as a proper swimmer and I’m thinking that in a couple of years probably I would like to come back and do it again. I’ll be in the over 40s then.”

East Dorset’s Danni Callahan received trophies in triplicate at the South West 5km Open Water Championships in Weymouth Bay. She was second home in the women’s race in 1hr 34min 50.7sec behind Joanne Reeks from Derbyshire, winning trophies for the 17-29yrs Dorset and South West categories as well as a silver for the open event.

Team-mate Meghan Thomas (1:51:16.2) was fourth overall, fourth in the 17-29yrs, third from the South West and second from Dorset.

Rebecca Christian-Drage won the junior 5km in 1:53:39.9.

In the men’s 5km race, Wareham’s Les Jessop was the first over 50 swimmer in 1:30.39, winning the open, regional and county cups for his age group.

Bob Holman (Bere Regis and East Dorset) was the fifth over 50s finisher, third South West and second Dorset in 1:51:56.0.

In the men’s 10km, Poole’s Mike Trew was the first over 50 finisher from the South West and Dorset in 4:00:44.7.

In the girls’ 15-18yrs 3km race, Poole’s Claire Rafferty was second overall and second from the South West and Dorset in 49:59.65. Megan Thomas’s time of time of 1:18:36.03 made her the first Dorset and South West swimmer in the 19-29 age group.

Ferndown Otters’ Sean Heppell was first overall in the men’s 1.5km event in 22:41.15.

In the women’s 15-18yrs 1.5km race, Danni Callahan was the first Dorset swimmer in 30:01.39 with Rebecca Christian-Drage second (33:54.89).

East Dorset OWSC has 55 members, aged 14 to 65, who train from club rooms at Shore Road on Tuesdays and Sundays.

More details can be found on the website www.edowsc.org.