{{Infobox , bodystyle = width:20em; , name = Infobox/doc , titlestyle = , headerstyle = , labelstyle = width:33% , datastyle = , image = Great Swim Logo

, header1 = , label1 = Event Name , data1 = Great Swim , header2 = , label2 = Dates , data2 = June - August , header3 = , label3 = Locations , data3 =

Windermere Windermere (sometimes tautology (language), tautologically called Windermere Lake to distinguish it from the nearby town of Windermere, Cumbria (town), Windermere) is the largest natural lake in England. More than 11 miles (18 km) in leng ...

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (; gd, Loch Laomainn - 'Lake of the Elms'Richens, R. J. (1984) ''Elm'', Cambridge University Press.) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of Ce ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, header4 = , label4 = Type , data4 = Swim , header5 = , label5 = Distances , data5 = 1/2 Mile, 1 Mile, 2 Miles, 5KM , header6 = , label6 = Established , data6 = 2008 , header7 = , label7 = Website , data7
greatswim.org
The Great Swim is a national

open water swimming Open water swimming is a swimming discipline which takes place in outdoor bodies of water such as open oceans, lakes, and rivers. The beginning of the modern age of open water human swimming, swimming is sometimes taken to be May 3, 1810, when L ...

event in the United Kingdom, which has had over 22,000 participants. The event was started in 2008 with a one-mile Great North Swim in

. Taking its inspiration from the world’s biggest half marathon the

Great North Run The Great North Run (branded the Simplyhealth Great North Run for sponsorship purposes) is the largest half marathon in the world, taking place annually in North East England each September. Participants run between Newcastle upon Tyne and Sou ...

, Great Swim uses the formula of mass participation events to provide a focus and a challenge for which the individual can train. After the success of the inaugural Great North Swim on 14 September 2008, which attracted over 2,200 swimmers of all ages and abilities (including five of the six Olympic Open Water Medallists), the series was expanded in 2009 to 4 events. The Great London Swim took place for the first time on 15 August 2009 in

Royal Victoria Dock The Royal Victoria Dock is the largest of three docks in the Royal Docks of east London, now part of the redeveloped Docklands. History Although, the structure was in place in the year 1850, it was opened in 1855, on a previously uninhabit ...

. The Great Scottish Swim took place on Saturday 29 August 2009 at

Strathclyde Park Strathclyde Country Park is a country park located on the outskirts of Motherwell in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, named after the former Strathclyde region of Scotland. It is often commonly referred to as Strathclyde, or simply Strathy. Des ...

, followed by the Great North Swim on 12 and 13 September 2009 and finally the Great East Swim on Saturday 26 September in

Alton Water Alton Water (or Alton Reservoir) is a manmade reservoir located on the Shotley peninsula. It is the largest in Suffolk, with a perimeter of over . Construction Due to a shortage of water in the Ipswich area in the 1960s, a list of twenty poten ...

. In 2010 the series was extended to include an event in

Salford Quays Salford Quays is an area of Salford, Greater Manchester, England, near the end of the Manchester Ship Canal. Previously the site of Manchester Docks, it became one of the first and largest urban regeneration projects in the United Kingdom foll ...

. All events that year were televised on Channel 4 with hour shows dedicated to each event with extended coverage of the elite races. In addition, 500m swims have been added to the program at some venues as well as a 2 mile swim which was called The Great North Swim the Extra Mile when introduced in Windermere. However, 2010 saw the cancellation of both the Great Scottish and Great North Swims due to the presence of blue-green algae at both sites, leaving several thousand swimmers disappointed. 2011, however had 10,000 swimmers sign up to the Great North Swim, held over 3 days and included two mile, one mile and half mile events. The Great Salford Swim was shown live on BBC that year but has since been re-branded as The Great Manchester Swim (although still taking place at the same venue). After a further cancellation of the Great Scottish Swim in 2012, a new venue, Loch Lomond, has been chosen as the venue for the event for 2013. The Great Manchester Swim was cancelled from 2017. Most events feature an elite race for women and another elite race for men, combined with a series of "waves" of other swimmers with up to 200 swimmers in each wave. The course is

GPS The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a Radionavigation-satellite service, satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of t ...

calibrated to ensure that the exact distance is covered and each competitor is electronically timed, either with a chip strapped to the ankle, or with chips stuck on the cap issued to each swimmer. Although not specifically a charity swim, many participants have raised money for a range of charities. Specific charity partners are nominated for each event (and sometimes are able to provide entries) but no restrictions are in place around fund-raising.

External links

Official websiteOutdoor Swimming Society (UK)The Water is Open
Swimming in the United Kingdom Swimming in England Loch Lomond Open water swimming

See also

External links