Swim Marathon
Event information
Whether you’re already a swimming fanatic or you're looking to dip your toe in for the first time, take your health, wellbeing and fitness to the next level – and raise funds for the almost 1 in 10 people who don’t have clean water close to home.
How you do it is completely up to you: break your swim challenge down to weekly laps, or reach your distance over a few swims. What's important is you have fun, enjoy the water and raise some money to bring the joy of clean water to others around the world!
How to get started
Help spread the joy of water
In the UK we're so lucky to have clean water in abundance to help us live healthy, happy lives – for swimming as well as drinking, cooking, washing and growing food. But for almost 1 in 10 people around the world that just isn't the case.
Right now, 703 million people don't have clean water close to home.
Instead, they have no choice but to spend hours every day fetching water that isn't even safe. They're forced to cook, drink and clean with dirty water that makes them sick.
But together, through our love of water, we can change this.
When communities like Tsarafangitra in Magagascar get clean water for the first time, there's a tremendous sense of joy. They know that from now on there's a chance for children to stay in school and get an education, for families to make a decent living, and for the whole community to lift themselves out of poverty. There's the possibility of a healthier, happier life.
When you take part in Swim Marathon, you're helping to spread this joy to even more communities around the world – thank you!
Swim safety
Always make sure you:
- research and plan your open water swims in advance to find suitable entry and exit points,
- bring appropriate equipment,
- avoid swimming at night.
For more safety advice, read Outdoor Swimmer's guide to outdoor swimming.
FAQs
This is your challenge, so it's completely up to you how often you swim to complete your chosen distance!
To help you decide, our friends at Outdoor Swimmer have put together some guidance with suggested weekly distances, based on your experience, as well as top tips for making your Swim Marathon fun and achievable.
Check out the guidance from Outdoor Swimmer
However you decide to reach your distance, just make sure you're being realistic for your level of fitness – and stay safe!
Use an app
Download an app like Strava to track your swims. You can either link this to a waterproof smartwatch if you have one, or manually add an activity every time you swim. If you use Strava, you can link this directly to your fundraising page, log your swim distance and keep your sponsors up to date with your progress.
On your fundraising page
If you don’t use Strava you can still log your distance using a manual feature on your fundraising page. This helps track your progress, and keeps your sponsors up to date with how you’re getting on.
Keep your records offline
Prefer to use a good old fashioned pen and paper? Use our downloadable distance tracker (PDF) to make notes of all your swims, then update your fundraising page to let your sponsors know where you’re at with your challenge.
However you choose to track your swim challenge, make sure to share your progress with your friends and family!
Join our Strava Club to meet fellow Swim Marathon participants, and our Swim Marathon Facebook Group, where we regularly share support and expert advice. It’s also a great space to share your personal Swim Marathon journey, or find support and guidance from fellow swimmers.
If you've decided you're taking on an outdoor Swim Marathon challenge, then our friends over at Outdoor Swimmer have loads of useful tips and advice on swimming outdoors, such as their guides on where to swim, and how to get started.
Yes! To celebrate your fantastic achievement and thank you for completing this epic swim challenge, every swimmer who raises over £100 and completes their distance will receive an exclusive Swim Marathon medal.
Young people under the age of 18 can be registered for the challenge by a parent or guardian. All entrants under the age of 18 must be under the supervision of an adult at all times when completing their Swim Marathon challenge. Please ensure you read the 'Registering on behalf of someone under the age of 18 ' section of our terms and conditions during the registration process.
Full marathon distance: 26 miles/42km
- 840 laps of a 50 metre pool
- 1,680 laps of a 25 metre pool
Half marathon distance: 13 miles/21km
- 420 laps of a 50 metre pool
- 840 laps of a 25 metre pool
We'll automatically send you your exclusive Swim Marathon cap once you raise over £20.
When registering, please make sure to include your correct postal address.
Contact us
Do you have any questions about Swim Marathon, or need advice on fundraising?
Get in touch with Lizzie from our events team – she'd love to hear from you!
Email: [email protected]
