Readers' Swims
Immerse yourself in fellow swimmers' personal narratives, sharing their swimming stories and memorable experiences.
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My TrygFonden Christianborg Rundt swim in Copenhagen
Denmark lover Steve Marshall shares his experience of taking part in the TrygFonden Christianborg Rundt – a swim around the…
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Ricky Holmes’ English Channel relay
Bluetit swimmers are now taking on the Channel in relay crossings. One swimmer, Ricky Holmes, shares his story and how…
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Tough training, high anxiety
Mental Health Swims Community Engagement Manager Sarah Groves tells us about her final few weeks of training before her big…
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The Midnight Windermere 50
To mark her 50th birthday, Ceri Smith decided to swim across England’s longest lake with 49 other swimmers, Sharon Davies…
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How I became the first woman to swim from Red Sands Forts
My journey and introduction to outdoor swimming started in 2018 after I had a harebrained idea: I wanted to swim…
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Sidney Russell completes Catalina double
Sidney Russell is a busy mum, swim coach and swim volunteer - yet she still finds time to train for…
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Clair Harris celebrates her 60th by completing the 13 Lakes Challenge
Not only did she become the first woman to complete the 13 Lakes Challenge, she also swam without a wetsuit…
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Tackling doubt one stroke at a time
Nicola Shepherd has a natural affinity for breaststroke swimming, but often feels like the world is dominated by front crawl…
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Building strength in open water
Mental Health Swims Community Engagement Manager Sarah Groves has moved her training outdoors and in new places
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My NOWCA journey from Swim Coach to Course Leader
Adam Comfort tells us about the exciting new chapter in his swimming career.
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Event swimming: Expectation vs reality
Does your expectation of flailing limbs and being kicked in the face put you off open water swimming events? Naj…
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Champion of the waterways: endurance swimmer Oly Rush
Environmentalist has three big swims under his belt – a 100-mile Jurassic Coast swim, a circumnaviation of the Isle of…
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Swimming around the Isle of Wight
Matt Dawson plans to circumnavigate the Isle of Wight as part of an island triathlon. He tells us about his…
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My swim story: Luke Richards
From sinking to swimming, reader Luke Richards learns how to go the distance
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The Wild Swim Relay: a celebration of teamwork and resilience
Team swim challenges are more than the sum of their parts, as Ashleigh Bulcraig knows. Here, she shares her experience.
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Monsters and the unknown
Mental Health Swims Community Engagement Manager Sarah Groves updates us as she finishes week 12 of training in preparation for…
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Pearls of swimming wisdom with Claudia Bradby
Rowan Clarke chats with Claudia Bradby about how outdoor swimming is part of her identity—and how it inspired her exquisite…
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It starts with a mile
Jharna Kumawat's first event was a mile in the Serpentine and she's now training for Ullswater end to end. This…
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All the lidos
Lidos are magical and we want in. Rowan Clarke chats to Jem Collins to find out how we can collect…
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Rediscovering joy in swim challenges
Lifelong swimmer Hazel spent years focusing on her speed, technique and achievement in swimming. But now it's all about slowing…
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How to get over your fear of the deep
Plenty of swimmers fear what's underneath them when they're swimming. Jane learned how to rationalise her fear.
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Big swim, big feelings
Mental Health Swims Community Engagement Manager Sarah Groves updates us on her training and plans to swim the length of…
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Thirty swims before 30!
Sometimes the best swimming challenges are those we dream up for ourselves. Jodie Hoskin tells us her story
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Why take part in a swim event?
How would you feel about swimming non-stop for an hour? Debs has misgivings, but she puts them aside to start…
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From Udaipur to the UK
New contributor Jharna Kumawat fell in love with open water in India and now swims locally in Essex and Suffolk.…
