Event review: National Masters Open Water Championships 2024

Simon Griffiths took part in the 3km event at Rother Valley Country Park

If you watch the marathon swim at the Olympics, you’ll see the race starts with a dive from a pontoon. This option is rarely available for masters swimmers but one place when you can do it is at the National Masters Open Water Championships.

These usually take place in July and for the last few years have been held at Rother Valley Country Park near Sheffield. It’s a good location: fairly central in the country, easily accessible from the M1, clear water, changing rooms and showers. In 2024, the event was blessed with good weather and an official water temperature of 20 degrees, although it was surely warmer by the afternoon. This made it a non-wetsuit swim.

It’s organised a little differently to most mass participation. Instead, it follows the structure of an elite event. It’s also run under Swim England’s rules, which are based on those drawn up by World Aquatics. It’s a rare opportunity to race like those Olympians, albeit a little slower.

After registering, you proceed to the numbering area, where volunteers cover your arms, hands and shoulders with temporary tattoos showing your race number. They also inspect your finger and toe nails and will insist you trim any that are too long. You need to remove or cover any rings or other jewellery, and you’re not allowed to wear a watch. You are given two timing chips, one to wear on each wrist. These feel fat and clunky but once in the water, I quickly forgot about them.

Warm-up time

About an hour before the swim start, there’s a briefing where they take a register. You then have the option for an in-water warm up if you want. Shortly before the start, you enter the muster area, where your name and number is checked again. Here you line up in number order before an official leads you onto the pontoon while the commentator announces each swimmer by name.

In most open water events, you get to choose where to start. Not at the nationals. You take your spot in order between two yellow marks on the pontoon, which dips alarmingly towards the water as swimmers step forward. There’s little time to contemplate. As soon as all swimmers are in place, the referee blows a whistle and the starter sends you on your way.

Doing a racing dive into a lake, with swimmers either side of you, almost shoulder to shoulder, takes some courage. You need to be confident your goggles will stay on, and that you dive straight and shallow. I decided to dive fast, do a couple of quick underwater kicks, and swim strong. It was a risky strategy as I landed in group of powerful and competitive swimmers, which resulted in a frantic first 200m. In other waves, I saw some swimmers waiting a couple of seconds before diving or jumping in to avoid the melee. There was also an option to start in the water.

After that, it was a straightforward swim around a 1km course, clearly marked with large pink buoys. The finish funnel was marked by two green buoys and the race ended when you swam under and slapped the finish banner – again, as you see it done in elite races.

I did the 3km race. There were 2km and 5km options too, as well as the possibility of doing all three. I’m pleased to report that I won my age-group, making me a National 3km Open Water Champion, although the title feels a little hollow as I know there are faster swimmers in the country. However, as the saying goes, you’ve got to be in it to win it.

To take part in the National Masters Open Water Championships, you need to be a member of Swim England. If you are not already a member through a swimming club, you can take out a temporary membership for the event. It’s a fun day out and good opportunity to catch up with open water swimmers from around the country.

For future events, check Swim England’s website.