FEATURES,  View from the Water

2swim4life

I’ve just returned from Guildford Lido where 100 or so people are in the middle of the gruelling 2swim4lifechallenge. The event, run in support of ‘Help for Heroes’ requires participants to swim a mile every hour for 24 hours. Typically swimmers are completing each mile in between 25 and 45 minutes, leaving them 15 to 35 minutes to dry off, warm up, eat, rest and mental prepare for the next mile. Wetsuits are optional but were in the minority, despite a water temperature of around 21 degrees. Good weather held throughout the day, but the air temperature has fallen considerably since dark, making it hard to warm up. The event has attracted a fair few members of the open water swimming community, particularly prospective Channel swimmers who see it not only as an amazing challenge in itself but a good training, both physically and mentally for a long distance sea swim.

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I created Outdoor Swimmer in 2011 (initially as H2Open Magazine) as an outlet for my passion for swimming outdoors. I've been a swimmer and outdoor swimmer for as long as I remember. Swimming has made a huge difference to my life and I want to share its joys and benefits with as many people as possible. I am also the author of Swim Wild & Free: A Practical Guide to Swimming Outdoors 365 a Year and I provide one-to-one support to swimmers through Swim Mentoring.