How to set a world swimming record

In September 2025, George Taplin smashed the record for a wetsuit swim of the length of Windermere. We asked him how he did it.

Tell us how you got into long-distance swimming

Growing up as a competitive pool swimmer, I would regularly spend 20+ hours of my week training within the confines of a leisure centre. Whilst staring at the black line at the bottom of the pool was tedious at times, I was fortunate to make fantastic friendships and managed to see lots of the UK and parts of Europe when competing. After the 2016 Rio Olympic Trials, I decided to take a break from swimming, and later that year I picked up triathlon after joining the University of Sheffield. Triathlon introduced me to the world of open water swimming, and since then I haven’t looked back. My first ultra-distance swim was on the River Thames in 2019, where I swam the 23-mile (37km) stretch from Henley on Thames to Windsor. Swapping a 25m pool for big open water stretches is an incredibly freeing feeling. No longer do you have to keep tumble turning and swimming back on yourself; instead you can get into a rhythm and focus on gliding as far as possible on each stroke.

How did you train for the event?

I work a 9-5 job, therefore I make an effort to optimise the training I can fit in, focusing on very specific training for the demands of Lake Windermere. In the build-up to the event, I would swim around 30km a week, including one open water session and 4-5 pool swims. My focus on these sessions was to get as comfortable as possible at the 1:08-1:10 / 100m pace. Outside of the pool, I completed two strength and conditioning sessions and two runs per week. Growing up, I was fortunate to train with two of the UK’s leading junior swimming programmes — Hillingdon and Maidenhead SC. I believe this time provided me with a strong technical foundation and aerobic development that I fall back on when attempting these ultra-distance swims all these years later.

What was the atmosphere like on the day?

I was attempting the Lake Windermere record as part of the Chillswim UK race. Over 300 people completed the swim of England’s longest lake, with many people swimming for over 7 hours – a fantastic feat of endurance. There is always a nervous energy amongst participants on the morning of these ultra-distance swims. However, open water swimming has a brilliant community aspect, and many people were giving each other final words of encouragement ahead of the 10.5-mile swim. 

What was the hardest part of the event?

The waves picked up during the final 6 km stretch from Bowness Islands up to the north shore and required a step up in effort to maintain the pace. At this point, I had swum 11km and my arms were really starting to feel it. I was told by my support crew at my penultimate feed (I was taking drinks every 30 minutes) that I was on pace to break the record. I quickly decided to skip my final feed and put my head down and go as fast as I could for the final 3km (trying to ignore the pain in my arms and back!).  I had been regularly taking on carbohydrates every 30 minutes prior to this which really helped me cling on to the 1:09 pace all the way to the finish. I really enjoyed the first 2 hours, however when I got to the 12km mark, I was just hoping to see the finishing jetty as quickly as possible!

How did you feel when you won (and set a new record?!)

I was in total shock when I first heard the time. I never expected to break the record by that margin, I was anticipating finishing between 3hrs 30-40, so to hear 3:14 took a few moments to process! After having a few weeks to reflect, I am so grateful to have my Dad in a kayak ahead in the distance to help me stay on course, and for the boat captain to guide me down the lake safely and to provide my carbohydrate drinks. Windermere gave me the ideal conditions on race day, and everything came together perfectly. I’m not sure I’ll ever swim the lake that quickly again, so I’ll just enjoy the moment for now.

What’s next for you?

In August 2026 I hope to swim the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain to Africa (subject to getting a slot). I hope to complete this swim alongside my good friend Tom Dean (3x Olympic Gold Medallist in 200m Freestyle) – hopefully I manage to keep up! We are currently in the planning stages and are looking at raising awareness for a charity. Lake Windermere has been a confidence booster in my preparation for this swim; however, I am aware that an ocean crossing will bring a whole new set of challenges that I look forward to learning from.

Follow George’s swimming adventures on Instagram: gtswimming