Swimming events - why I love them and why there should be more.
This post is in part a review of the super organised Swim Serpentine event I took part in this year, and also my reflections on swim events and why there should be more.
The London Swim Serpentine
I took part in the very first Swim Serpentine in 2016. This year was the second time I took part. If you need proof, you can check out my result here from this year and the goofy pictures below both taken on the Serpentine bridge overlooking the course.
This year I swam with my buddy Rob which made it even more enjoyable. And this year I swam 1 minute faster :).
So why do I think it's a great event? Well, if we skip over the fact that it's in London (where I live) making it very easy for me to simply pop over on my bike in time for my wave (I did a 1-mile wave, you can do 2-miles and 6-miles), there is just something very charming and super efficient about the way it's organised.
Firstly, it's really nice to finish exactly where you start. Making things like bag-drops and picking up your medal really easy for the organisers and participants. It also feels like a great set-up for spectators. Let's face it, once you are in the water there is no chance your friends and family can discern between a bunch of swimmers all wearing the same colour caps (your colour of swim cap matches your wave time), so there are some great food trucks and lovely places to sit and enjoy Hyde Park. It just feels a lot less "faffy" than other mass participation events in London (think the London Marathon and Ride London 100 etc).
The staff were great also great. Full of high spirits as always.
The 1-mile swim itself is super simple. Keep the buoys to your right and then before you know it you're approaching the ramp for a quick walk through the shower and a well-deserved medal. However, I am sure the heroic 6 milers felt like they were going dizzy having to loop around the course six times. 6-miles is a lot of swimming. At my pace, I would be in the water for about three and half hours!
You can check out more about the event here on the Swim Serpentine website.
Why I think there should be more open water swimming events
I get it, the thought of open water swimming can be scary. I have enjoyed taking part in a number of triathlon events in the UK so I have been forced to confront open water swim training, wearing wetsuits, shivering uncontrollably and the frustration of goggles steaming up mid-swim - etc etc. But I think it's worth it. Let me break it down:
- You are lest likely to be injured and can enjoy the sport well into old age
- It's a solitary experience (in comparison to mass running events), I never feel like I need to compete with swimmers around me
- You can't really be checking your watch every 5 mins so there is no stress about hitting your planned split times etc
- You work muscles and joints that you would not particularly engage
- You come out of the water feeling re-vitalised due to some indescribable connection with nature
You can read far more qualified resources on the swimming.org website here. I can absolutely relate to the benefits for your sleep, circulation and happiness they have listed. Also, I can absolutely have a mediocre run, a bad cycle trip and an underwhelming session at the gym, but not once have I finished a swim and felt anything other than a sense of complete satisfaction and a feeling of owning the day. I think that's because once you confront and overcome the thought of going for a swim it's really quite hassle-free, your not going very far it does not take up an entire afternoon.
I have come to the conclusion that swimming (when compared to running and cycling) has the best ratio of effort and reward. And with this, I will be seeking out more swim events, locating my nearest open water swimming options and hopefully writing more about open water swimming. If you know of any open water swim events send me a tweet.
I hope this has inspired you to either swim more, or at least give it a go.