Sophie Etheridge’s ultra swim

What happens when you have an event team that is made up of swimmers, endurance athletes and coaches alongside a group of swimmers with goals that are determined to succeed whilst being supported by their friends and family? Answer: UltraSwim33.3. Sophie Etheridge reports

This was the second UltraSwim33.3 event I had taken part in and it was just as good as the first. For those that don’t know, the UltraSwim33.3 event involves swimming the distance of the English Channel over four days, including the chance to do a marathon swim under the Marathon Swimming Federation rules.

UltraSwim33.3 isn’t just a swim. Once you have booked your spot at one of the events, you gain access to the ‘Swimmers Bubble’ where you can access a training plan and advice for the event. I haven’t used the plan but feedback from those that did was all positive, except they wished they had done more training one day after another to prepare for the intensity of the event. You will also gain access to the WhatsApp group for your event and the Training and Support Group so that you can chat with others attending the event and ask any advice in training. By entering an Ultra33.3 event, you aren’t just entering a swimming event, you are entering a community.

From booking your 5* hotel room, organising airport transfers, planning lunch somewhere new each day and high-tech safety cover for every swim; the UltraSwim team have you covered. However, one thing they can’t control or predict in advance is the weather.

You could book a ‘pre-event swim camp’ but I just chose to arrive the evening before registration day and I could already tell that the wind was likely going to cause problems when swimming. After signing in, you pick up your DryBag which has your hat, some nutrition, a reusable bottle (Ultraswim are as ecofriendly as possible) and a towel.

Due to the wind, our warm-up swim was cancelled but most swimmers (myself included) went and swam in the roped off beach area at the hotel. The water was crystal clear, around 24 degrees and just an absolute delight to swim in! There were lots of smiling swimmers in the water and on the beach, along with a few t-shirts and pairs of trousers being blown away!

The swim briefing for each day is the evening before. You find out what ‘Plan A’ is; the swims you will be doing the following day, the distances, the routes, what to look out for in terms of buoys and all the important stuff. Of course, the aim over the four days is to swim 33.3km so if you are unable to do a longer swim due to the weather one day then the next day you have to make up that distance. At the briefings you will also see pictures and a highlights video from the day of swimming you have just done so if you’re lucky then you end up seeing yourself on the big screen too.

In the mornings, after a hearty breakfast, swimmers collect their trackers and load onto the boat taxis to get to the start line. Sometimes the journey is all by boat, other times it’s by boat and bus; it all depends on the day, the weather and the location. Whatever the journey, the atmosphere is a mix of excitement and apprehension. But even then, everyone has a smile on their face and can’t wait to get in the water!

On the first day people are pretty spread out but you will likely end up in small groups of swimmers working together to get to the finish line; its rare that you will ever be swimming totally alone. One of my highlights was on day two when I came across someone with a 22.2 swim hat on who had stopped only about 500m away from the finish. We had a small interaction and she said she didn’t think she could make it, so I told her I would stick with her and we swam over the finish line together before embracing in a huge hug.

For the majority of attendees, these events are challenges but of course there are a few that actually race and this year for the first time the event was dominated by women. Not only did we make up more than half of the attendees but each stage and the overall event was won by Anna Sofia Kalandadze by more than 15 minutes!

If you are looking for a swimming challenge in 2026, I highly recommend the UltraSwim33.3 events. The swims are tough and you should expect some challenging stretches but it’s an incredible event. You will meet friends for life, swim with people from all over the world and enjoy some absolutely beautiful swims.

Find out more about UltraSwim33.3: ultraswim333.com