Marathon Swims for Swale Tri Club Members

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Marathon Swims is the ultimate swimming challenge and six members of Swale Triathlon Club, took on and completed the challenge. The event was the very first Marathon Swims event at the iconic London Aquatics Centre, on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Saturday 11 November.
A Marathon Swim is a 10k challenge, which debuted at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, as an open water event. Marathon Swims redefined the challenge with an indoor, pool-based event with a 10k Marathon Swim, 5k Half Marathon and 1k Challenge distance swims.
Members of Swale Tri Club took part in a team of two swimmers taking on the 10k Marathon Swim distance and four members completed the solo 5k Half Marathon Swims and all were very proud to have achieved the challenge and well within the cut-off times too.

And this was especially true for two members, Ian West and Jeni Smith, having only started swimming in October last year with the Club beginners course. “We swam in the same pool as the superstars of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. To take on this challenge, in this iconic arena was an opportunity not to be missed. A year ago we could not have swam one length of a 25m pool, but thanks to the Club and our coach Mimi Charlery, today we swam 5K!”
Founder of Marathon Swims, Diccon Loy stated, “We wanted to create the ‘London Marathon’ of swimming in a pool. We felt the levels of innovation and development seen in other sports have not yet surfaced in the sport of swimming. Our aim was to create an innovative mass participation experience and challenge in the pool. Marathon Swims is unlike anything ever staged in a pool before.”