We often ramble on to each other and others about the “wouldn’t that be cool” swims. Often it then results in us signing up for something that we probably shouldn’t have but these are the adventures that have yet to happen due to various factors. So what are our bucket list swims, races, holidays and crawls?
KATIE
SWIM
Catalina is the US equivalent of swimming the English Channel. The swim is 21 miles long from Santa Catalina Island to Los Angeles in California and is part of the “triple crown” event along with the English Channel and the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim. Having completed relay crossings of the English Channel in 2000 and 2002 and with the Mermaids in Manhattan successfully circumventing the Manhattan in 2012, I would love to do a relay swim of the Catalina channel. Manda says there are too many sharks though 😦
RACE
My swimming club growing up was called Leander SC named after the Greek myth of Hero and Leander. Hero and Leander were star crossed lovers who lived on opposite sides of the Bosphorus straight. Each night Leander would swim the straight to visit Hero guided by a lamp she had lit. One stormy night the weather extinguished the Hero’s light and Leander swam off course and died in the waves.
Ever since I was little I have wanted to do this iconic swim from Asia to Europe myself. The straight is now a busy shipping channel but once a year it is closed and thousands of swimmer take to the waters to swim across as Leander did. Hopefully one year I will join them!
You can enter this race with SwimTrek as part of a package.
https://www.swimtrek.com/packages/swimming-holiday-bosphorus-cross-continental-swim
HOLIDAY
I would love to do this Strel Swimming trip to Lake Powell. Lake Powell is a man-made reservoir off the Colorado River between the border of Utah and Arizona. The scenery looks gorgeous and very different from other places I have previously swum. You are also just a stones throw from Las Vegas for some post swimming R&R and shopping!!
http://www.strel-swimming.com/s1a70/swimming-vacation-lake-powell/swimming-vacation-lake-powell.html
CRAWL
A few years ago I participated in the “Classic Swimmer“. This is a 13 mile run from the Hampstead Heath ponds to Brockwell Lido taking cold water dips a long the way. Once I had recovered from the trauma of doing a 13 mile run, I was keen to complete the “Olympic Odyssey” version of the event.
The Olympic Odyssey takes you on a 13 mile run West to East across the city from Hampstead Ponds to the London Aquatic Centre via Parliament Hill and London Fields Lidos. Now I just need to start running again….
http://www.theswimmer.org/olympic-odyssey.html
MANDA
SWIM
This has to be Lake Geneva. At 70km it isn’t insignificant and with the clear water, no chance of jelly fish and potential for sun while swimming this is a MUST. Katie suggested we should do for our 40ths…. I have suggested 50ths! Watch this space!
https://www.lakegenevaswimmingassociation.com/signature-70
RACE
This is a tricky one, there are several I want to do including Annecy End to End and Lago D’orta End to End (which I was signed up to do this year but a winter of shoulder problems have meant I have had to pull out) but they seem sufficiently achievable to not be on a bucket list, therefore, I am going with a race at the Barbados Open Water Swim Festival. Partly because I want a holiday there!
http://www.swimbarbadosvacations.com/
HOLIDAY
It would have to be a Scandinavian swim adventure. There are a couple on offer but because of the challenging temperature they normally take place in August when the water will be at its warmest.
http://swimmingholidaysfinland.fi/
http://swimquest.uk.com/lofoten/
CRAWL
A do love a good pool crawl but for this I would have to go outside and do a “Tarn Crawl”. We have got many an idea for doing some extreme lake districting by swimming in as many waters/lakes as possible over a weekend but this would be a lovely warm up and a great way to see some of the lesser known parts of the lake district.
Some resources we would use:
https://www.suzannaswims.co.uk/
https://www.swimthelakes.co.uk/
TEAM Mermaids 