Outdoor Swimmer partners with Castle Triathlon Series to launch new family-friendly swim

Castle Triathlon Series do exactly what their name describes: they organise a series of triathlons at stunning castle locations around the UK and France. This year, Outdoor Swimmer are partnering with Castle Triathlon Series to create a new swim-only event to run alongside their triathlon on 24 September at Hever Castle in Kent, England.

The new event features swimmer-friendly distances of 5km, 2.5km and 1 mile, rather than the standard triathlon distances of 3.8km, 1.9m or 1.5km and a new family-friendly format for the 1-mile distance, which is a non-competitive ‘family & leisure’ swim. Families are encouraged to sign up to complete the swim together.

The swim starts in front of the Italian loggia and heads across the lake towards the Japanese tea house folly. The 38-acre lake was hand dug by 800 men contracted by William Waldorf Astor and took two years to excavate between 1904 and 1906. The swim then turns into River Eden channel and circumnavigates Sixteen-Acre Island before returning swimmers to the lake near the loggia and the finish. The narrow river channel offers a completely different swimming experience to the lake, and the combination of the two make this swim unique.

Outdoor Swimmer founder Simon Griffiths, says: “On a recent visit to Hever Castle I swam a loop of the swim course with Brian Adcock from Castle Triathlon Series. As we threaded our way between the lilies in the River Eden channel, it struck me that this was the perfect location for a relaxed, social paddle, so we came up with the idea of the 1-mile leisure and family swim. Triathletes are always in a hurry to get to their bikes but outdoor swimmers really get the opportunity to savour the experience. We want to encourage swimmers to pause, forget about the clock and enjoy a beautiful swim.”

The longer distances are aimed at swimmers who are looking for more of a challenge. Electronic timing is provided for all distances.

Readers of Outdoor Swimmer can save 10% on entries to the event using the code “SWIMOUT” at checkout.

Find out more and enter: http://www.castletriathlonseries.co.uk/the-series/hever-castle/#HeverCastleSwim